Unknown Feelings
by Searchlight101
Summary: Sesshomaru is unsure of what some of the feelings are that the young miko has introduced to him. Kagome knows what the feelings are but is not able to completely trust them. Will Sesshomaru figure out his feelings and accept them? Will Kagome be able to trust her heart? Or will they both lose sight of themselves?
1. Chapter 1

Unknown Feelings

**A/N: I'm new to writing fanfiction but I've read a lot, feel free to leave a review and tell me how I'm doing or what I need to improve on. I hope you like my first story! ^-^**

Chapter 1

Kagome was wandering through the vast forest in the darkness of a warm summer's night, she continued to walk deeper and deeper into the forest, aimlessly. Kagome gently pushed a young branch, from a tree to her right, out of her way as she continued down an unmarked path. The calming sound of crickets chirping and the faint sound of birds singing in the distance. She had been unable to get any rest and had decided to take a short walk in the woods nearby to soothe her nerves, she wasn't sure what had her so nervous but she was sure that it would show it's self soon. She suddenly stopped walking and looked up at the high tops of the trees that seemed so far away but yet so close. Kagome looked through the dense canopy of leaves and branches and caught glimpses of a beautiful star filled sky. "I could never see the stars back home," she thought peacefully as she continued to admire the stars that had been unseen to her for so long. Kagome smiled softly, "I wish that it was always this peaceful," Kagome thought almost in a melancholy tone as she recalled all of the hardships that her and her friends had been through in the past.

Kagome let out a soft sigh before deciding to head back to where they were making camp that night, she retraced the path she had taken and she slowly emerged from the woods and her eyes found the still flickering fire of their camp that had not gone out yet. Her eyes slowly moved from the fire to the silver haired man waiting for her return. "Inuyasha," she breathed out and she let a simple smile cross her face as she walked towards the young half demon dressed in the red robes of the fire rat. As she moved to stand next to him and she looked up at him with questioning eyes as to why he was still up, he responded, "Feh, it took you longer than usual to calm down," Inuyasha said trying to sound uninterested as he justified why he was up waiting for her. Kagome cracked another smile and Inuyasha let his façade fall as he looked at her happy face in the dying light of their fire. "Same old Inuyasha, not being honest but I know he cares," Kagome thought to herself as she continued to smile.

They sat next to each other looking at the now dimming fire while their companions slept peacefully. Kagome closed her eyes and silently rested her head on Inuyasha's right shoulder, Inuyasha glanced at her when he felt her begin to lean on his shoulder. His eyes softened when they saw her serene face, he quickly turned his head towards the fire once again so Kagome couldn't look up to see him staring at her. They both quickly fell asleep underneath the summer's night stars.

He gracefully ran through the tops of the trees in the dense forest, unsure of what had brought him here but he was determined to figure it out. He suddenly stopped when he felt someone else moving through the forest as well. He looked to his right, below him, and saw the young miko that traveled with his bothersome half-brother. Sesshomaru almost scoffed as she looked distractedly towards the sky, but realized that he shouldn't display feelings towards anyone, even if the feelings were of the person's own absentmindedness. As he looked at her skeptically from afar, he realized that she wasn't looking at the sky with a distracted look in her eyes, she looked at the sky with admiration and knowledge that Sesshomaru had yet to find in anyone else.

He looked at her calm features and watched as her aura embraced the forest and the forest embraced her. Sesshomaru watched as a simple smile crossed her face but he noticed that there was almost a sorrowful look in her smile. She turned around and made her way out of the woods to where he assumed, her comrades had made camp for the night. Some odd sense compelled him to follow her and Sesshomaru quietly made his way out of the forest, following the miko. As she exited the forest, he still stood behind the cover of the trees as he recognized his half-brother waiting for her return, deciding to stay hidden because if he was spotted he knew there would be hell to pay and he didn't feel that blood should have to be spilled that night.

Sesshomaru watched their interactions while still in the cover of the forest, he felt something in his chest when he saw her rest her head on his half-brother's shoulder. It was then that Sesshomaru decided to leave, sure that the human miko was doing something that was affecting him. He glided through the dark forest, back towards the western lands of his domain. "That was a waste of time," Sesshomaru concluded as he continued back towards his palace.


	2. Chapter 2

Unknown Feelings

**A/N: Here's the next chapter, I know Sesshy's not in here but he'll make an appearance in the next chapter :D. I just wanted to say that I probably won't update as fast I did this time, school keeps me busy -_-' (It's winter break now but it's ending today D:) but I'll try and update at least every week. Also, if you couldn't already tell, I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters AND I wouldn't mind reviews, just saying :P. **

Chapter 2

Kagome slowly woke to the light of the risen sun, she gently rubbed her eyes and sat up as she looked around at her still sleeping companions. Shippo was curled up with his tail and Kirara, both were next to Sango who was sleeping in one of the three sleeping bags that Kagome had brought with her from beyond the well. Miroku was also sleeping in one of the sleeping bags that Kagome provided, Kagome looked at where she had woken from and saw that she and Inuyasha had fallen asleep together. They had been laying on the ground and he still had his arms wrapped around her waist, Kagome blushed deeply as she looked at Inuyasha's peaceful face, still asleep.

He stirred and Kagome looked away from his sleeping form, in case he suddenly woke up to find her staring at him. She looked at the beautiful clouds and knew that it would be a warm and sunny day. Shippo was the next to rise and he cheerfully bounced over to Kagome and sat in her lap, chatting with her until everyone else had woken up. Kagome had made them breakfast before she passed through the well to the feudal era. She pulled out some boxes that were used for box lunches and handed everyone their own. Inside was grilled fish, steamed rice, and a little miso soup, all homemade by Kagome as she beamed, hoping for good reactions from her friends. "Thanks for the food," everyone said before they started to eat.

"Amazing like usual, miss Kagome," Miroku complimented and Kagome smiled even wider as Sango nodded happily in agreement beside him. Inuyasha and Shippo scarfed down their food at an alarming rate, they all finished breakfast and Miroku and Sango complimented Kagome again as she packed the now empty boxes into her backpack. "Ok, let's get back on our journey, I don't want to miss out on a jewel shard because of you guys," Inuyasha said roughly as he started walking into the woods, immediately joined by the rest of the group.

As the group traveled through the forest Kagome noticed that there was a lot more life throughout the large forest. Every now and then, the group would see deer that were courageous enough to venture closer to them. Many birds were swerving through the trees and branches, their songs joining in a beautiful chorus. Kagome abruptly got a feeling of something tugging at the back of her mind, she remembered the feeling as a shard of the Shikon jewel. "Inuyasha," Kagome said as she stopped walking, trying to pin point where exactly the shard was, notifying Inuyasha that she sensed the jewel. "It's coming from the northwest," Kagome stated.

Inuyasha nodded before motioning to Kagome to get on his back, "Ok, hurry up before we lose it," Inuyasha said impatiently, pumped to finally have something to do. Kagome nodded and climbed onto his back while Kirara enlarged and Sango, Miroku, and Shippo climbed on. Inuyasha led them in the direction that Kagome said that she felt the presence of the shard. Kagome loved the feeling of the wind blowing in her face and through her hair, even though they were about to go face a creature that possessed a shard of a jewel that corrupted them and increased their power.

They made it to a quaint village nestled in the woods, their peacefulness was shattered as the villagers ran past the group and into the woods for shelter, abandoning their town. There was a large roar and villagers could be heard screaming and running as a large cloud of dust and dirt rose from where the roar originated from. Kagome climbed off of Inuyasha's back and he drew Tetsusaiga, ready for a challenge. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo got off of Kirara's back, Sango pulled Hiraikotsu from her back and Shippo scampered over to Kagome and sat on her shoulder as she welcomed the familiar young fox demon.

They all hurried in the direction of the disturbance and found there was an oversized animal demon terrorizing the villagers. A few houses had been knock down in the chaos as the animal raged at the west entrance of the village. Inuyasha gripped Tetsusaiga as he glared at the huge demon that had somehow acquired the powerful shard. The out of control demon most resembled a wild bear, dark brown fur with its shackles raised, peering at the new arrivals with blood red eyes. The bear's mouth hanging open, showing off its razor sharp teeth as it growled ferociously at the group. Inuyasha motioned for the rest of his group to help the villagers evacuate while he would take on the bear demon. Kagome, with Shippo on her shoulder, rushed to where a young boy was helping a little girl get to her feet after tripping and Sango and Miroku helped families leave the dangerous area. Inuyasha cracked a smile as he stood in front of the bear, the demon rose to stand on its hind legs, now towering over Inuyasha. "This should be interesting," Inuyasha mumbled under his breath, still smirking in the face of battle, as he clutched the hilt of Tetsusaiga tighter.


	3. Chapter 3

Unknown Feelings

**A/N: Okay so school has started back up again and because I'm still new to this fanfiction site (well actually I'm just new to writing the Fanfiction, I've had my account for a while) I'm still trying to figure out when the best time for me to update my story is, so please be patient with me!(I'll be sure to tell you guys when I figure it out, for you guys who want to keep up with my story) Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, I know my chapters are kind of short, I wish they were longer but I just typed this up tonight but hopefully I'll become better with time management and begin to write longer chapters ^-^' ALSO, reviews are appreciated ^-^**

Chapter 3

The corrupted bear demon roared ferociously at the silver haired half demon that stood in front of him. Inuyasha gripped his precious heirloom and was about to cut the oversized demon down when everyone suddenly felt an overwhelming spiritual power coming from the west entrance of the village. Inuyasha looked past the animal demon that had also turned to look at the person who held such great power. Kagome looked up when she felt the tremendous and sudden presence after she returned the children to their worried parents. There, at the west gate entrance to the small village, stood the radiant demon Lord of the West, his beautiful and silky silver hair blowing slightly in the wind while he held a murderous look in his eyes as they fell upon the creature that had brought ruin to a part of his land.

"Humph, I thought you would get here faster, your senses are dulling," Inuyasha bluntly insulted after he got over the shock of his brother showing up to defeat the demon, catching Sesshomaru's attention, placing his gleaming eyes on his half breed brother. "Well I had heard that a half demon and a group of travelers had showed up to take care of the creature so I believed you would be able to take care of such a minor threat, I guess I was mistaken," Sesshomaru responded, a smirk crossing his elegant but cold face when he saw his half-brother clench his jaw in frustration. Sesshomaru looked at the damaged village and saw a few houses knocked down but he smelt no blood, the thing that caught his attention was the young miko that was now looking at him, waiting for him to do something.

"Do you think you're capable of taking care of this minor threat, if it should even be considered a threat, or would you like me to show you how it's done," Sesshomaru questioned haughtily as he looked upon his half demon brother. Inuyasha clenched his jaw again when he heard his brother insult his abilities. "I think you'll actually be surprised at how much I've improved," Inuyasha spoke as he looked back at his brother's piercing golden eyes with his own. Sesshomaru turned his head up slightly before letting out a little huff of air, "Humph, then prove your skills to me, half breed."

The whole time Kagome and the rest of the group watched as sparks flew between the two half-brothers. "At least they haven't attempted to murder each other yet," Shippo spoke to Kagome as he sat comfortably on her shoulder. Kagome nodded when she heard Shippo's comment, although the situation wasn't horrible, it wasn't good either and she realized that it probably wouldn't get better unless someone did something about it.

Inuyasha gripped Tetsusaiga with both hands, determined to end this with one slash at the bear demon that was still distracted by the appearance of the demon Lord of the West. He jumped into the air as he started to swing down to deliver the hit when suddenly the demon turned back around and swung at Inuyasha while he was still in midair, knocking him into one of the houses that was still standing near them. The house instantly crashed down when the half demon came in contact with it, Kagome instantly rushed to his aid. Sesshomaru suddenly felt a pang in his chest when he saw her rush to the side of his irritating half-brother. He quickly pushed aside the feeling, "There's no need for something as weak as feelings, I have no weakness," Sesshomaru thought to himself, swiftly dismissing the irritating evidence of feelings towards someone, much less a human.

Kagome helped Inuyasha out of the wreckage with one of his arms over Kagome's shoulder and the other now clutching Tetsusaiga but the sword was now back to its regular state of being an old and rusted sword. "I guess I'll have to handle this disturbance on my own," Sesshomaru said as he drew Bakusaiga, instantly everyone could feel the strong aura of the sword but Sesshomaru's aura quickly overwhelmed the power of the sword, keeping it at bay. He slowly walked towards the demon that now faced him again, with his dangerous sword now drawn. The group watched as they saw his foot leave the ground and he disappeared into thin air, suddenly they saw a flash of light, which Kagome figured was the light of the sun reflected off his sword, and the bear demon's head was decapitated from its body.

Kagome was able to see all of Sesshomaru's movements and was amazed at how graceful and striking his movements were, even though he was killing a demon. She watched as his feet touched the ground again, abruptly her heart did something, it wasn't bad but she was confused. "Did my heart just skip a beat," Kagome questioned herself, "But that can't be, I was thinking of Sesshomaru when that happened. No, it can't be," Kagome thought as her feelings came to surface and her face started to flush a little as she continued to admire the demon Lord of the Western Lands.


	4. Chapter 4

Unknown Feelings

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update earlier, school (ugh) but here's an extra long chapter for you guys! ^-^ Feel free to leave a review!**

Chapter 4

Kagome's eyes continued to observe as the great demon lord gracefully cut the air with his sword, the leftover blood from the tainted demon being flicked off the beautiful sword. Kagome helped Inuyasha to lean against a nearby tree that was still standing. "Are you okay, you took quite a hit," Kagome said worriedly to Inuyasha as he slid down the trunk of the tree to sit on the ground. "Feh, I'm fine, just pissed that Sesshomaru showed me up," Inuyasha said grouchily as Kagome squatted down to look him in the eyes. "I'll be right back, I should probably get what we came here for," Kagome stated as she stood and moved towards the decapitated head of the beast.

She reached down and removed the tiny shard from the demon's forehead, instantly purifying the shard. Kagome took the chunk of the jewel that their group had collected, she easily combined the shard with the rest of the jewel before walking towards Inuyasha, the rest of the group joining them. Sesshomaru turned away and started to make his way back to his palace, as he turned away, Kagome's face flashed in his mind. His chest instantly started to ache for some reason when he thought of leaving her but he pushed the emotions aside and continued walking away. Sesshomaru had already started to take his leave and as Kagome watched his beautiful silver hair behind him, she felt sad for some reason, watching him walking away. "Wait," Kagome whispered as she still looked at Sesshomaru's back, her faint call was heard by the half demon near her. Inuyasha looked up at Kagome and followed her gaze towards Sesshomaru, he looked between the two, confused.

"S-Sesshomaru," Kagome called out to the Demon Lord of the West. Sesshomaru stopped instantly, confused at why she stopped him but weirdly enough, his stone cold heart felt happy that she stopped him. He continued to keep his cold aura and unsympathetic face as he simply turned his head to the side, acknowledging her but unable to fully turn towards her, unsure what she was going to do that would make his cold heart react. Kagome was surprised that Sesshomaru actually stopped when she called out to him, since she wasn't expecting him to stop, she wasn't sure what to say to the regal cold-hearted demon. After standing there for a while longer, Sesshomaru turned his head forward again before beginning to walk away again.

Just like before, something in both of them felt hurt as one walked away from the other. Before Sesshomaru could completely disappear beyond the village's entrance gate, a thick miasma quickly rolled into the village. Kagome looked at some of the gardens and fields as the miasma flowed over them, watching as the plants and herbs that were flourishing now withered and died when in the path of the miasma. Everyone instantly felt the dark presence of the evil half demon before they saw him.

Sesshomaru promptly stopped walking when he sensed the minor presence of the murk as it got thicker, knowing that a challenging battle was about to happen. When he thought of being able to participate in a difficult battle he couldn't help but smirk. The thought of actually having to try in a battle was a feeling that he was deprived of for so long because of how powerful he was and that many others couldn't match his level of power.

Not long after, the dark half demon stepped out of miasma that followed him everywhere. His midnight black hair brought out his piercing blood red eyes as they settled upon the group. He eyed the group of travelers that had caused him difficulties before in the past. Inuyasha clenched his jaw as his eyes landed on the dark haired man. He clenched his jaw and balled his fists up at the thought of the person that had caused him and his friends so many problems, he mumbled, "Keh, Naraku."

Inuyasha stumbled to his feet, he leaned on Tetsusaiga unsteadily. A determined look crossed his face as he looked upon Naraku. Inuyasha stood upright while yanking Tetsusaiga out of the ground as a wide grin crossed his face. Kagome took her bow that was slung around her shoulder and gripped it tightly in her left hand as her right hand was ready to draw an arrow. Sesshomaru watched quietly, he felt the half demons glaring at each other, challenging one another. He knew that with the condition that Inuyasha was in, he would be easily crushed by the other half demon that possessed a large portion of the Shikon no Tama.

Sesshomaru almost cracked a smile when he thought of seeing his aggravating half-brother being beaten so easily again, but he quickly caught himself and suppressed the emotion. Sesshomaru diverted his eyes to the young miko that traveled with his half-brother when he noticed movement from her. He watched as she armed herself with her bow, ready to attack the defiled half demon. "Humph, Inuyasha, how far have you fallen that the woman you travel with has to protect herself and fight in the battle," Sesshomaru thought as he continued to question his brother's morals and strength.

The great demon lord sighed slightly before drawing his sword in a bored manner. Sesshomaru slowly started to approach the group again with murderous intent clearly seen in his golden eyes. Naraku turned towards the greater threat when he finally noticed the powerful aura radiating off of the Lord of the West. A little smirk crossed the twisted half demon's face when he looked upon the great demon Lord of the West, as though he came there for some other reason but he was pleasantly surprised to find another thing there that he wanted as well.

Naraku turned to face Sesshomaru, effortlessly, he sent multiple tentacles towards the demon Lord but Sesshomaru, in turn, cut them down in one slash of Bakusaiga and they fell to the ground, uselessly. Sesshomaru continued to approach Naraku calmly as though he wasn't a threat, this angered the usually nonchalant half demon. Naraku caused his tentacles that had earlier tried to take on the demon Lord to regenerate, the tips of the tentacles that Sesshomaru and sliced earlier started to move. The tops of the tentacles sharped to a dangerous point, Naraku commanded the tentacles to attack Sesshomaru yet again. Sesshomaru quickly sheathed Bakusaiga as the claws on his index finger and middle finger started to glow. His poison whip, that glowed a sickly green, arose from the two claws, and with a flick of his wrist, the tentacles laid on the ground in little bits of dust. The slight breeze picked up the particles of the tentacles and blew them away, as if they weren't just used as weapons.

Naraku's face twisted into one of annoyance and rage, he glared at the demon Lord of the West with pure hatred in his blood red eyes. Sesshomaru couldn't help smirking when he saw the enmity in his opponents' eyes, he enjoyed seeing their hate for him in their eyes. Watching them try to escape the inevitable of dying by his hand was one of the things that he enjoyed about being in battle. Naraku called upon all of his tentacles to attack the demon lord, thinking he would be unable to block all of the projectiles at once.

Kagome watched the amazing battle that was unfold in front of her, "Is it wrong to think that the battle is beautiful," Kagome thought to herself. The beautiful and swift movements of Sesshomaru's sword, the gracefulness of his body and sword in battle, the way he effortlessly defeated the attacks that Naraku kept trying. Kagome suddenly realized that all of her thoughts were on Sesshomaru, maybe it wasn't the battle she admired maybe it was Sesshomaru. The thought ran through her mind, all of the battles she had witnessed that Sesshomaru had participated in, she had always admired his movements and his power.

As this thought dawned on the young miko, her face started to flush slightly. Kagome shook her head to try and focus on the task at hand, she tried to figure out how she could help in the battle. She began to focus on the battle again when she saw Naraku prepare all of his tentacles to attack Sesshomaru. She had a strange urge to protect Sesshomaru, without thinking, Kagome took an arrow from her quiver and knocked it on her bow. Kagome let the arrow fly and a purifying power wrapped around the arrow, the arrow easily cut through all of the tentacles before they could come in contact with Sesshomaru or Bakusaiga. Sesshomaru was surprised for a few seconds before regaining his composure, he looked at the young miko that fired the arrow, knowing that she was the only one capable of firing a purified arrow.

Naraku watched in anger as a purifying arrow cut through all of his tentacles, he looked at the person who had fired the arrow and saw that it originated from Kagome. His eyes of hate now turned towards her and the rest of her group noticed his as well and they all tensed up. Sesshomaru noticed this as well and he was infuriated at the thought that Naraku would try to attack her, Sesshomaru didn't question why he thought that way, he didn't have the time to do so.

Before the demon Lord could do anything, Naraku commanded the dark miasma all around the village to form around Kagome. The group watched in horror as their friend was swallowed by the miasma, Inuyasha looked on with shock in his eyes. He watched as Kagome disappeared in front of his eyes and he was unable to protect her, once again. Inuyasha looked upon the half demon with uncontrollable hate in his eyes but was unable to attack because the pain from earlier started to get to him. Inuyasha was wondering why one attack was having such an effect on him. Inuyasha looked down at his abdomen and saw there was a large wound where the demons' claw hand cut him. He looked at the wound and saw it turning a purplish color and Inuyasha realized that the bear's claws were poisoned.

Inuyasha cursed himself for being unable to save Kagome. The miasma around Kagome became thicker and swirled around her, faster and faster. The miasma started circling her at fast speeds and started to create a vacuum, the air was being sucked out of the small area she as now enclosed in. Kagome finally realized the purpose of the attack, to slowly kill his opponent so Naraku could watch as they suffer. Kagome's hair was fly upwards towards the only escape of the vortex as the lack of air started to affect her. She crumpled to her knees, still clutching her bow in her left hand, she reached for an arrow as she continued struggling to breathe. She grasped an arrow and knocked it, she quickly released it, hoping it would hit its mark. The arrow purified the miasma and continued towards Naraku. Everyone was stunned to see Kagome's purifying arrow emerge from the miasma vacuum.

Everyone was shocked by what had happened to Kagome as they watched her be enveloped by the dark miasma, Sesshomaru gripped Bakusaiga tightly in rage. He was unable to explain why he felt so strongly of the miko being taken from him, "Wait, taken from me," Sesshomaru questioned himself and his use of words but decided that he would look into it after he avenged her. Before he was able to attack, Kagome's arrow hit Naraku in the middle of his chest, everyone was taken aback by seeing her arrow. "That means she must still be alive," Sesshomaru thought to himself and his cold heart was warmed again.

Naraku realized what happened and looked at the arrow in his chest, he could feel it purifying him from the inside out and he was repulsed. He quickly left and immediately after he did so, his miasma vacuum disappear instantly and Kagome was revealed as she dropped to the ground. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo rushed to her side and Inuyasha crumpled to his knees as he looked at Kagome, thankful that she was safe, while Sesshomaru slowly approached the group even though his demon wanted to rush to her side, "I will question my 'feelings' later," Sesshomaru decided.


	5. Chapter 5

Unknown Feelings

**A/N: Here's another chapter for you guys ^-^ I really hope you like it! I'm not really sure what to do next in the story so if you have an idea or something you want to tell me, feel free to leave a review. I don't promise using your ideas but they would really help me! Also, I think I've figured out when I would update, It'll probably be on the weekend because I have more time to write. I know that it's not very specific but I hope I gave you a smaller window than the whole week. I'll probably update during Friday-Monday (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday), probably sometime in the evening on one of those days. If I find out a smaller window to update, I'll tell you guys. Anyways, sorry about the long Author's Note, I hope you like the chapter!**

Chapter 5

After getting over his shock, Inuyasha struggled to move to Kagome's side as she was surrounded by her concerned friends. Inuyasha moved to cradle Kagome's head as Sango grasped her hand gently in unease after seeing her best friend collapse in front of her. Miroku kneeled behind Sango, praying for the wellbeing of lady Kagome.

To everyone's surprise, Sesshomaru approached the group but still held his cold and uncaring face as he looked upon them. Sango hesitantly let go of Kagome's hand and moved out of his way as he approached her limp body. Without making eye contact or any noises, Sesshomaru effortlessly picked up Kagome's body, bridal style, and silently started walking towards the west, leaving the rest of the group behind. Everyone looked at each other silently, all were confused about the demon Lord's actions and motives.

Sesshomaru didn't know what fueled him to carry the human miko back to his palace. _Isn't it obvious, you have become attracted to her, _his demon purred as it looked upon her peaceful face. Sesshomaru let aslight smile slip onto his face before he caught his mistake and reclaimed his indifferent facial expression. Sesshomaru reached the edge of the village where the dense forest started again, Sesshomaru tightened his grip on Kagome before starting to glide through the forest, weaving between the proud trees.

The group stared at Sesshomaru as he walked away, everyone still trying to work out reasonable situations as to why Sesshomaru would have the slightest concern for Kagome's wellbeing. Inuyasha was the first to act, slowly stumbling to his feet, he used Tetsusaiga to support his weight as he struggled to follow after his older brother. Sango and Miroku looked at him in worry, they would have offered to help him but they both already knew that Inuyasha was too stubborn to accept their help. Sango and Miroku walked slightly behind Inuyasha, Kirara jumped into Sango's arms while Shippo scampered up Miroku's body and rested on his shoulder.

In a few minutes, Sesshomaru reached his palace and a young girl wearing a large smile emerged from the walls of the large palace. Rin ran to her Lord's side and hugged his strong leg, after pulling away she noticed the unconscious miko in his arms. Rin's face looked up at Sesshomaru with worry, before she could ask when happened, you could hear a high pitched screechy voice coming from the palace. "Rin, you ignorant human, you're an inconvenience to him," Jaken could be heard from the background as he ran out of the palace after the young human girl.

"What an annoying creature," Sesshomaru thought as he stopped the toad like demon with the bottom of his foot. "Shut up Jaken," Sesshomaru said in a strict and unfeeling tone as he stepped on Jaken. Sesshomaru continued into the palace with Kagome in his arms and Rin following him inside. Sesshomaru calmly and silently walked down one of the hallways of the large estate. He brought Kagome to the bedroom that was closest to his room so he was able to keep an eye on her. He opened the sliding door and walked in, laying her down on the plush bed before walking out, allowing her to get some rest.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Rin began, getting her master's attention. He looked down at the young child, he looked into her big brown eyes. Sesshomaru had been questioning himself and his actions because of the things that Kagome was making him feel, therefore, he started questioning all of this actions towards all humans. "What compelled me to bring you along," Sesshomaru wondered, "Why didn't I dispose of you when I felt like it," he continued to questioned himself. Sesshomaru looked Rin over and realized something, _she reminds me of her, _his demon thought and his mind wandered to the miko. When Sesshomaru apprehended what his demon had confessed he quickly fired back, "I could get rid of her whenever I want to," his mind argued but when he looked into her smiling chocolate brown eyes, he knew he would be unable to.

Her bright and joyful eyes reminded him of the priestess and he realized that his demon had a point, it wasn't completely true, but Rin did remind him of Kagome. "Lord Sesshomaru," Rin spoke again, trying to get his attention again. Sesshomaru looked at her and nodded slightly for her to continue, they continued walking down the hallway and Rin looked at her feet for a little as though she was nervous to ask him something.

"Why would she be anxious to ask me something," Sesshomaru questioned, _maybe it's something bad or something embarrassing_, his demon suggested but Sesshomaru stayed quiet, waiting for her to gain the nerve to ask him what she needed. Rin gulped nervously but swallowed her fear, she looked into Sesshomaru's eyes and spoke, "What happened to Lady Kagome," she questioned in a worried tone. Sesshomaru was taken aback when he she asked him that. Sesshomaru quickly composed himself, "Is that really what she was worried about asking," Sesshomaru inquired incredulously, "What a strange child, the things that get her worked up," Sesshomaru noted.

"She was hurt in a battle against Naraku," Sesshomaru simply said in a bored tone, when Rin heard this her eyes widened and she quickly started chattering. "I thought that you were only going to take care of a minor demon that you sensed terrorizing a village, not fighting Naraku," Rin spoke after she calmed down a little. "I was but Inuyasha was there with his group, he was unable to slay the insignificant demon so I had to deal with the pest. Suddenly Naraku appeared and started attacking, she used her arrow to stop an attack that was towards me. Naraku became angered and focused his attack on her but her power was able to hold him off, even though she won, she sustained wounds," Sesshomaru explained to the wide eyed little girl.

Rin listened intently as Sesshomaru explained what had happened earlier on, without thinking, she spoke, "So she got hurt trying to protect you," her eyes widened in fear of what she had just said towards the demon Lord of the West. She immediately started apologizing for what she had said to her Lord but he wasn't listening anymore. "Was it really my fault that she was hurt," Sesshomaru wondered worriedly, _of course it was,_ his demon answered his question. "She didn't have to do what she did, I could have easily handled it," Sesshomaru's mind countered, _you're just telling yourself that so you won't feel as though you're indebted to her or that you're at fault, _his demon argued back.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes in frustration and rubbed his temples as his mind fought with his instinct, one was reasonable and the other was right. Rin looked up at Sesshomaru and saw him rubbing his forehead in frustration, "He's not acting normal, he would have immediately denied it but instead it looks like he's beating himself up about this," Rin observed as she continued to look up at her master, trying to figure out what his weird behavior meant.

The group continued trekking through the forest with Inuyasha leading them through the condensed forest as though he knew it like the back of his hand. "Um, Inuyasha, where exactly are we going," Sango asked to their leader that was walking in front of them, "Where Sesshomaru took Kagome," Inuyasha answered without turning around. "And where would that be," Miroku questioned this time, "To the palace of the west," Inuyasha stated, when he thought of Kagome with Sesshomaru, his blood started to boil.

Sango and Miroku continued to watch in concern as their friend stumbled through the forest, determined to save Kagome. Inuyasha's vision started to become blurry and his head became dizzy, in front of him, he was able to make out the shape of the palace of the west. Inuyasha sped up, determined to reach the estate before he lost consciousness. The group reached the gates of the mansion, immediately, Inuyasha's vision went black and he collapsed to the ground.

Miroku and Sango rushed to his side, Sango checked the wound that he had sustained earlier and saw that the poison had spread all over his abdomen. "This doesn't look good," Sango said and looked at Miroku in worry. "We better get him to the castle of the west," Miroku stated as he wrapped one of Inuyasha's arms over his shoulder, Sango did the same and they made their way through the gates of the palace.

The two guards that were on post were about to stop the group but one of the dog demon guards recognized the young master of the west and stopped the other guard. The guard motioned for the other to alert the Lord that his younger brother had arrived. The guard rushed to Sesshomaru's study where he could sense the immense power of his Lord. The dog demon guard knelt in front of the door and bent his head before he knocked on the door, after doing so, he slid the door open gently.

Sesshomaru was reading a book intently before he was interrupted, the guard raised his head, "Lord, Inuyasha and company have arrived as you predicted," the guard announced, Sesshomaru simply nodded without looking up from the book, dismissing the guard. The young guard had been around the Lord long enough to understand what he meant, the guard bowed his head again before sliding the door shut again. He left to go back to his post at the gate of the castle.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes before gently closing the old book he was reading. He rose from his seat and made his way towards the door, he slid it open and stepped into the hallway. "I guess I should go meet them," Sesshomaru mumbled to himself as he walked down the hallway that lead to the main hall where the group was gathered. Sesshomaru opened the door to the main hall and everyone's eyes turned towards him as he calmly walked into the center of the main hall, where his half-brother's group was gathered. He immediately noticed that Inuyasha was draped over his friend's shoulders and they supported his weight.

"Hmm, it's very entertaining to see Inuyasha this weak," Sesshomaru thought as he inwardly smirked but kept a straight face. "This is not what I'm here for though," Sesshomaru reminded himself as he looked down upon the group. "I suppose you're here for the young miko," Sesshomaru spoke as he continued to scan the group. Sango looked up into his cold golden eyes and inadvertently shivered, Sesshomaru picked up on this and smirked.

"Yes but on the way here, Inuyasha collapsed. We figured out that it was the poison that was on the claws of the demon that we faced earlier, it caused a wound in his side and when we got here it had spread so much that he was unable to sustain consciousness," Miroku explained the situation as best as he could. As the man was speaking, Sesshomaru's sight turned towards his half-brother's body that was still being held up by his friends. After hearing their story, Sesshomaru motioned for some of the many dog demon guards to take Inuyasha from their hands. "Take him to the bedroom that is beside the miko's," Sesshomaru said to the head guard. The head guard nodded before directing the two guards that handled Inuyasha's body out.


	6. Chapter 6

Unknown Feelings

**A/N: I want to apologize for not updating last weekend, that weekend was really crazy, I had an art project due (that was also for a contest), a group project to do (and it's still not finished), and a bunch of homework -_-'. I also want to say that I know that it sounds like I'm complaining a lot but I guess I just want you guys to understand that I'm a human too and that we (writers) have lives and work and that, sometimes, writing isn't our top priority. Anyways, here's this week's chapter, hope you like it, feel free to leave a review ^-^.**

Chapter 6

Kagome slowly woke up to the unfamiliar bedroom, she struggled to sit up in the comfortable bed, her body still sore. She tried to move her right arm and winced in pain, "I guess my body took quite a beating," Kagome thought as she looked around the magnificent room. "What an enchanting bedroom this is," Kagome thought in awe as she noticed the expensive entities within the large room.

Kagome's eyes were pulled towards the demon Lord seated in one of the chairs across the room from her bed, she instantly flushed, realizing how foolish she must have looked in the eyes of the great demon Lord. "O-Oh, Sesshomaru, I guess that means this must be your beautiful castle," Kagome stuttered. "Yes," Sesshomaru said bluntly as he continued to study the miko.

Kagome awkwardly looked around the room, unsure of what say since Sesshomaru killed any chance of keeping a normal conversation. They sat in silence until Kagome spoke, "Why did you bring me to your palace," she questioned, curious. Deep inside her, a little part of her was hoping that there was a slight chance that he actually held feelings towards her and that he had been worried about her health. "You were hurt while stopping an attack that was heading towards me," Sesshomaru said in a bored tone, "Although I could have easily defeated the half demon, it was only fair that I take care of you." _Dammit, just tell her the truth, _Sesshomaru's demon growled from inside his chest, _just tell her that you were worried about her._

When she heard his cold words, her eyes fell, as did her heart. This didn't go unnoticed, _great, now you've hurt her, _his demon spoke with a hint of anger in his voice but Sesshomaru's reasonable side was contemplating why she was saddened by his words. "Could she possibly feel something towards me as well," Sesshomaru questioned in his head. Suddenly, the door flew open and a cheerful young girl ran in and tackled Kagome with a huge hug.

Kagome was taken aback when Rin burst into the room, disturbing the peacefulness but her happiness was so immense that Kagome's sadness dissipated as she began to laugh and smile with the energetic young girl. "Rin, the miko has not finished recovering, you should know better," Sesshomaru spoke up and the small human girl blushed deeply in embarrassment before climbing off Kagome. At the mention of her wounds, Kagome instantly realized how much pain her body was now in after the encounter. "Rin! It's been so long since I've seen you, how have you been," Kagome asked Rin as she swallowed her pain.

Sesshomaru sensed the pain that Kagome was feeling, she could hide it on her face but not her aura. "I've been fine! I'm glad you're ok, when my Lord brought you to the palace I was so worried," Rin said as she began to chatter, Kagome happily smiled as she heard the excited chatter of the young girl. Sesshomaru looked on at the interactions between the two, _she would make a good mother, _his demon purred as they continued to observe.

After a few minutes of Rin babbling, Sesshomaru suddenly stood and moved towards the door, "Sesshomaru," Kagome called towards the demon Lord. Sesshomaru immediately stopped when she called after him again, as if she commanded him, "As if she could control me," Sesshomaru thought haughtily. "Come Rin, the miko needs to rest," Sesshomaru addressed the human girl without turning towards them. Rin frowned slightly but obeyed her Lord's orders, "Good bye Lady Kagome, I hope I'll see you at dinner," the cheerful young girl said before leaving Kagome's bedside. Kagome just smiled at Rin as she watched her join Sesshomaru and they both left the room.

Rin ran down the hallway to look for Shippo, Sesshomaru continued down the hallway a little before opening a door on his left and entered his study. Sesshomaru sat down and attempted to read a book but was unable to do so because thoughts the miko and his feelings towards her swam in his mind. Sesshomaru slammed the book shut, frustrated at how he wasn't able to focus on something as simple as reading because of his thoughts of the miko.

"I guess now is as best a time as any to think about this," Sesshomaru mumbled to himself in irritation as he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. _I love this miko, _his demon said straight forward, "That escalated quickly," Sesshomaru thought when he heard his demon's confession. "How are you able to know what love is, you've never felt it for anyone before," his mind argued. Sesshomaru's demon grunted, _you really don't know anything do you, it's a feeling unexplainable but you just know. _"That's a weak answer," Sesshomaru thought bluntly, "Try to explain it," Sesshomaru could feel his demon starting to get frustrated as it tried to explain the foreign feelings it was feeling towards the miko.

_It's difficult to explain but I have to put it in a way you'll understand... I-It's were you know all the persons flaws but you still want to be with them, flaws and all. _Sesshomaru had no response, he just turned over the thought in his head. "I understand humans having many flaws, because they do, but I don't understand how that would attract someone even more towards that person," Sesshomaru's reasonable side thought. _Damn, you're always based on facts. Love is the most unreasonable feeling, _his inner demon said. Sesshomaru just continued to contemplate all of the feelings and thoughts that were said and suggested during the internal battle.

Kagome continued to sit up in the bed after Sesshomaru and Rin had left. "Why has my heart been reacting like this towards Sesshomaru," Kagome questioned as she stared at the silk bed sheets that she clenched in her hands in frustration. "C-Could I have feelings for Sesshomaru," she questioned herself. When the thought popped into her mind, her eyes widened more and she clenched the sheets more. Knowing that if she really had feelings for him, they would only be unrequited. The thought of not being loved back hurt her heart but the thought of Sesshomaru made a little piece of her still have hope, though she didn't know why. "Hope sure is annoying sometimes," Kagome mumbled to herself as her heart was made up.

Kagome plopped down on the mattress but was immediately reminded of the condition of her body by the instant pain that coursed through her muscles. Kagome laid in the bed with the complicated thoughts running through her mind, soon a blanket of peaceful sleep was placed upon her form. A few hours had passed before Kagome was being woken from her slumber by a gentle knock on the door. Kagome slowly sat up again before speaking out, "Yes, what is it," she questioned through the thin door. The maid stayed in a kneeling position, "I'm sorry to wake you but supper is ready," she spoke with a soft voice. "Okay, I'll be down in a minute," Kagome responded, the maid nodded and bowed once again before getting up and walking down the hallway.

Once the maid had left, Kagome sighed deeply before forcing herself out of the bed. It was then that she noticed she was already dressed in a breath taking kimono. The kimono was a midnight blue color with speckled dots of white acting as bright stars in the dark night. The top of the kimono was draped around her shoulders and was held together with an intricately designed golden colored obi, it also had long sleeves that hung down just a little lower than her hips. The bottom of the kimono trailed behind her gently, the bottom of the kimono and the ends of the sleeves were adorned with pink cherry blossoms.

Kagome looked in the mirror that was leaning against one of the far walls and admired the beautiful kimono. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw her unflattering body and face in the gorgeous kimono. Kagome sighed once again and stole one last look at the kimono in the mirror before exiting the room and moving down the hall. It was then that she realized that she didn't know where the dining room was and wandering around the large castle wasn't an option. She nervously gripped the edges of the sleeves of her kimono and blushed slightly as she stood in the quiet hallway by herself.

Everyone sat silently around the large dining table, Sesshomaru sat at the head of the table. They were waiting for Kagome to arrive, Inuyasha hadn't recovered enough to attend dinner that night so the maids allowed him sleep. Everyone continued to wait patiently in silence because it was rude to begin eating without someone else. Sesshomaru motioned a maid towards him and she approached him hesitantly, "Will you check on the miko, I don't believe she knows where to meet us," he told the maid and she just nodded in understanding before leaving the room to fetch the miko.

Kagome continued to stand awkwardly in the hallway, waiting for someone to walk by so she would be able to ask them where the dining room was. Unfortunately, none of the servants had passed by and she started to feel stupid, "I can't even find my way to the dining room, how pitiful is this," Kagome thought harshly to herself. She looked at the wooden floor boards and cursed her inability to do anything herself, she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming around the corner.

Kagome immediately looked up and saw a servant girl rounding the corner, when the girl saw Kagome she smiled kindly. "Lord Sesshomaru has sent me to fetch you, he anticipated something like this," she spoke kindly as she continued to smile. At her last few words, Kagome started to flush a deep red, "My stupidity is starting to become predictable," Kagome thought as she flushed a deeper red. The girl looked up to see Kagome's red face, she instantly started apologizing if she had insulted her.

Kagome stopped chastising herself when she heard the young servant girl starting to apologize, Kagome started telling the young girl that it wasn't her fault, "I'm actually very glad that you showed up," Kagome continued to say nicely to the young demon servant, she just smiled in return. "Shall I guide you to the dining room now, my lady," she asked in a professional tone and Kagome nodded eagerly. They walked through the hallway, Kagome behind her, "Oh, and you don't need to call me 'my lady', I'm not the lady of the west so such titles aren't necessary," Kagome spoke and the maid nodded her head slightly and just continued walking down the hall.

They continued to walk in silence before coming upon a wide door, the maid kneeled down in front of the door and bowed her head before sliding the door open and allowing Kagome to pass through the doorway first. After Kagome had entered the room, the maid slid the door shut and walked down the hallway. She thought of what Kagome had said before, "She's different from the others, she's more humble," she continued to think as she traveled down the abandoned hallway.

When Kagome walked into the dining room, all eyes turned towards her. The eyes that caught hers were the piercing and cold golden eyes of the Lord of the West. Kagome looked around the table and was surprised to see her friends sitting around it as well, the only person who wasn't there was Inuyasha. Kagome took her seat next to Sesshomaru, everyone began to eat and Sesshomaru casually leaded over to her and whispered in her ear, "You look stunning, Kagome."


	7. Chapter 7

Unknown Feelings

**A/N: Here's the next chapter, it took me a little longer than usual to write this chapter only because I don't really know where to go with this story but hopefully I'll have a little spark of imagination and creativity. I'm still off of school (second day :D) because of icy roads and stuff like that so that's the reason why I'm posting during the morning/middle of the day (school hours). Reviews are greatly appreciated, I hope you like this chapter, and I'll be posting another chapter next weekend ^-^**

Chapter 7

Sesshomaru gracefully pulled his head back and watched as Kagome's face turned a bright red color, he smirked in amusement at her reaction. Kagome looked at her hands that she clenched in her lap, "What does that mean," Kagome questioned, confused thoroughly by the demon Lord's actions towards her. She glanced up in time to see Sesshomaru's smirk fade and his face turned back to a look of indifference, "I get it now, I'm just his entertainment," Kagome thought, now agitated. Kagome unknowingly started giving her dinner the death glare as she thought more and more about the gesture, getting more and more irritated with the demon Lord sitting to her left.

Sesshomaru saw that her mind wasn't really with them, he leaned over to her ear again, "The food won't attack you, if it does, I'll make sure to protect you," he whispered. Kagome jerked her head towards him and glared at him angrily, Sesshomaru was slightly taken aback from the sudden glare he received from the young human miko. _She has guts, looking me in the eyes with her unwavering eyes, I can see a hint of anger but it's mostly confusion, _his demon thought as Sesshomaru calmly stared at Kagome as well.

Kagome turned her head back towards her food and silently ate, Sesshomaru just studied her, wondering what had gotten her so riled up. Kagome silently ate her dinner, when she was finished she excused herself and left the dining hall. Kagome walked down the same hallway that the serving girl took her down to get there and eventually reached her room. Everyone was confused about Kagome's nature during dinner, Sango leaned over to Miroku, "What happened with Kagome, she was acting strange," she whispered. "I'm not sure, maybe she was still tired, her body did take quite a beating," Miroku whispered back, offering an answer but even he could tell, something was disturbing her.

Kagome slid the door open to her room and entered then slid the door shut before falling onto her bed, she stared at the ceiling and thought more on all of the events that happened during dinner. She slowly started to become overcome by sleep and finally allowed it to capture her, she fell into a peaceful slumber. Dinner continued on in silence, everyone finished and they were dismissed, Sesshomaru was walking down a long corridor when a servant approached him, "Um, Lord Sesshomaru, a demoness is at castle's main gate, she wishes to speak with you," she spoke in an uneasy tone. Sesshomaru contained his urge to roll his eyes at another disruption and simply nodded to the servant, she bowed her to her Lord before rushing down the hallway.

Sesshomaru continued down the hallway, now in the direction of the main gate, he arrived to see a young demoness standing by the main gate, surrounded by armed guards. When her dark violet eyes met with Sesshomaru, they lit up in excitement. Sesshomaru approached the guards that surrounded her, ready to draw his weapon in case she ended up being a threat. The demoness moved towards the powerful demon Lord and all of the guards tensed up, she saw this and stopped, "It seems that your toy soldiers see me as a threat, why don't you call them off," she spoke in a casual voice as a dark smirk graced her beautiful features.

Ignoring her earlier statement, "What business do you have here," Sesshomaru questioned in an uncaring tone, getting down to business. "Aw, always work and no play Sesshomaru," she spoke with a small fake pout, Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, "Do I know you," he asked as he searched his memories for the woman that stood in front of him. "How awful, you don't remember me," she quested with fake sadness in her voice, Sesshomaru continued to stare at her with indifference in his eyes. She stood up straight and returned to her regal posture and appearance, "I'm Michiru," she introduced herself.

Kagome woke up from her short nap and gently rubbed her eyes, she sat up on the bed and stretched her arms above her head. Kagome stood up and decided to walk around the castle, "I should start at the beginning," she thought to herself and decided to start at the main entrance of the house and continue from there. Kagome stepped out of her bedroom and wandered around the palace, she eventually made it to the entrance of the castle but there was obviously a disturbance.

Kagome stood in a side hallway, silently watching, she saw Sesshomaru and the guards all looking at a gorgeous demoness. Kagome looked over her face, she had small violet eyes with pale skin and pink lips, Kagome silently continued to admire the radiant demoness but her presence didn't go unnoticed. Sesshomaru instantly felt her aura when she reached them and he momentarily side glanced in her direction before turning his attention back to the woman in front of him. Even though it was slight, the demoness noticed when she didn't have the Lord's attention, she followed his eyes and saw that another person had joined them. She smirked evilly again before standing up straight and maintained her regal posture and appearance.

Kagome continued to watch in silence as Sesshomaru and the mysterious woman conversed, when she heard the demoness's name she gasped but quickly hushed herself, not wanting to gain the attention of them. "Michiru, the name means petals falling beautifully, although it sounds like a beautiful name, it's really a metaphor for death, beautiful death," Kagome thought as she continued to listen in. As this was going through Kagome's head, Sesshomaru was also think something along the same lines. "But the name still does not contain any meaning to me," Sesshomaru thought still with indifference towards the person standing in front of him.

"What business do you have here," Sesshomaru questioned her again, hoping to get an answer from her this time. To everyone's surprise, she started laughing, her high pitched cackling echoed throughout the whole castle and Kagome couldn't help but shiver at the coldness that the laugh contained. "You still don't remember me, do you," she asked truthfully with a hint of hurt in her eyes but Sesshomaru didn't trouble himself with her meaningless feelings.

"What is the reason of you coming here," he questioned again, starting to become impatient with her inability to answer his simple question. She sighed and turned her head to the ground slightly while she shook her head gently, she looked back up into Sesshomaru's cold eyes and involuntarily shivered as the coldness from his eyes traveled down her back. "I'm here for you, Lord Sesshomaru, my intended," she spoke calmly, after she spoke, she looked in Kagome's direction and smiled when she saw Kagome's reaction.

When Kagome heard her statement, her heart immediately started to ache, she turned her back and leaned against the wall. She clutched her heart as reality dawned on her, "He has a fiancé…" the thought hurt her but it as much as she didn't want to admit it, it made sense. "It would actually make less sense if he didn't have a fiancé," Kagome admitted, "I mean, he is the demon Lord of the West," Kagome thought. Even though her head could understand, her heart couldn't, Kagome fled down the corridor and into her room. Sesshomaru noticed the lack of her presence and him demon wished to chase after her and comfort her but his head told him to deal with the problem standing in front of him.

Sesshomaru turned his head back towards the demoness that went by the name of Michiru, "Preposterous, I don't have a fiancé," Sesshomaru spoke towards the demoness that was still enjoying Kagome's reaction to her statement. When Sesshomaru spoke to her she was snapped out of her fantasies of Kagome's sadness, she looked into Sesshomaru's eyes, "Yes, I know. I just wanted to see that girl's reaction to the news, obviously, she didn't take it very well," she said while snickering. When hearing this, Sesshomaru had to hold back the urge to choke the demoness in his presence for intentionally saying something just to hurt the miko.

Although Sesshomaru was able to suppress the savage instincts to protect the miko, his eyes still flashed a deep red color as his demon instincts appeared but were quickly controlled. Michiru saw this and was surprised by his reaction while a little part of her was now scared of the demon Lord in front of her. Sesshomaru sensed the hint of fear in her aura, he smirked, "She has all the reason to fear me," Sesshomaru thought. "Why are you truly here," Sesshomaru asked, wanting the real answer, "She couldn't possibly have come just to harass the miko," Sesshomaru thought as he looked at her with scorn.

"Have you come here just to spit lies in hopes of hurting someone," Sesshomaru said coldly when she didn't respond immediately, his anger from the earlier incident coming to the surface. His eyes flashed red again and Michiru's eyes widened as more fear filled her aura, Sesshomaru's demon smirked widely at the now fearful demoness in front of him who used to be standing so prideful before him. "If you've come here just to cause problems, leave immediately," Sesshomaru said as he turned his back to her and started moving towards the castle. The guards took that as his last words on the subject and were ready to use any force necessary to rid the estate of her presence.

Jaken had recently appeared on the scene and he shrieked with his scratchy and high pitched voice, "You should be happy that me Lord has been so gracious to spare your pathetic life, lying demoness," Sesshomaru just continued walking down the hallway towards Kagome's room to clear up the misunderstanding. Michiru glared daggers at the small toad, Jaken was startled by her deadly glare, he jumped and scurried down the hall. Michiru huffed before taking her leave, feeling insulted by the prestigious demon Lord of the West.

Kagome laid on her bed and cried into the sheets, she wasn't sure why it hurt so much, she wasn't sure why this thought didn't pop into her head about him having an intended, she wasn't sure why she thought she actually had as chance with the untouchable demon Lord of the West, Sesshomaru. Her head was reasonable and was able to except this with open arms but her heart didn't want to believe it, her heart ached more when she thought about him with her and their future together. Kagome sobbed more into the fluffy sheets as thoughts of the demon Lord suffocated her and the tear continued to fall.

Sesshomaru reached Kagome's room, as he was about to knock, the strong smell of tears and sadness seeped through the door. Sesshomaru could smell her salty tears and for once in his life, he felt regretful, he decided to allow her to calm down before he explained himself. He slowly walked down the hallway and away from Kagome's room, leaving the door between them still closed.


	8. Chapter 8

Unknown Feelings

**A/N: Hey, here's another chapter for you guys, hope you guys like it! I'll post another next weekend ^-^ feel free to leave a review!**

Chapter 8

During the middle of the night Kagome jolted awake with one thought on her mind, "Inuyasha…" she whispered into the darkness. Kagome ran her hand through her now messy hair, "I must be a horrible friend, just remembering his condition now. I've been so selfish, I wasn't the only one who was injured in the battle but I only thought of myself," Kagome thought harshly to herself, she clenched the sheets in frustration at how thoughtless she had been. "I'll check on him first thing in the morning," Kagome said as she made up her mind, now determined to get some rest.

Kagome woke up before the sun had risen, she quickly dressed herself and stepped out of her room, she saw that a maid was walking down the hallway towards her, "Excuse me, do you happen to know where my friend, Inuyasha, is," she questioned as politely as she could. "Oh, Lord Inuyasha is in the same wing, Lord Sesshomaru wanted to keep an eye on both of you," the maid spoke while leading Kagome down a short hallway, they stopped in front of another sliding door. "Another maid is already in there, tending to Lord Inuyasha's wounds," the maid said as she began to walk down the hallway again. Kagome thanked her before knocking gently on the door.

"Come on in," a young girl's voice came from within, Kagome nodded and silently slid the door open, Kagome felt nervous and guilty as she entered his room. She saw a young nurse at Inuyasha's bedside still tending to his wound, Kagome noticed that his whole chest was wrapped in bandages and she began to feel guilty once more. "How is he," Kagome timidly asked the nurse, "Oh, Lord Inuyasha will be fine, I can just imagine him saying 'Feh, this is just a flesh wound, nothing I can't handle'," the nurse lightheartedly joked with her best impression of Inuyasha's gruff voice. Kagome chuckled before joining her at Inuyasha's bedside, "I'll have to get used to them calling him Lord Inuyasha," Kagome thought as she looked at his face.

"His face looks unusually peaceful," Kagome thought as she stared at his calm face, "Oh, I'm so rude for not introducing myself, my name is Kagome," she introduced herself to the nurse. "My name is Azumi," the nurse said cheerfully as she looked up to Kagome. Kagome hesitated slightly before speaking, "I hope you don't find me a terrible person for doing your job but is it ok if I tend to Inuyasha from now on," Kagome asked Azumi. "Of course, I've heard that he's a very good friend of yours and I've also heard that you're a miko, you seem perfectly capable of caring for Lord Inuyasha," Azumi spoke thoughtfully, Kagome thanked her and Azumi made her way towards the door, "Feel free to ask me for help if you need it," Azumi offered before leaving the room.

After Azumi left, Kagome took Inuyasha's hand in hers and she could feel his warmth in the palm of his hand, "I'm so sorry that I didn't come to see you sooner," Kagome apologized. Kagome looked over Inuyasha's bandaged chest and decided to change the bandages, she found the roll on a nightstand by the bed, "Azumi didn't have time to change his bindings," Kagome said, talking to herself as she inspected the old bandages. Kagome unwrapped the bandages that went all around his abdomen, when she had removed the bindings she inadvertently gasped. The wound was cleaned but the poison was still in his body, a purplish color surrounded the wound and glowed a sickly color.

"If it's poison then I should be able to purify it," Kagome thought as she gently placed her hands over the wound. She closed her eyes and focused on dispersing the poison from Inuyasha's body. Her whole body began to glow a pure white color and the poison started to disappear from his chest. Kagome opened her eyes to see the toxin no longer in his body, Kagome let out a thankful sigh before sitting back down on the seat beside the bed. Kagome began to wrap his chest again with fresh bandages, she continued to tend to his wounds gently.

Sesshomaru sat in his private library contemplating who the demoness was that seemed to know him from his past, "Michiru, Michiru, Michiru…," Sesshomaru repeated in his head as he pondered how the mysterious demoness knew him. Sesshomaru searched his memories for her presence but found none, suddenly he remembered someone from when he was younger. Sesshomaru could remember a situation that angered his father very much when he was a young demon.

A young Sesshomaru was playing in the large garden when he sensed an interruption on the estate. Sesshomaru rushed to the side of the main building, where he sensed his father's presence, he watched as his father looked down, infuriated at a young demoness. Sesshomaru peeked out from behind a large tree and watched as his father scolded the young girl. "What causes you to do something like this," Sesshomaru's father asked, still angered by what the young demoness had done. Sesshomaru noticed that the girl he was talking to was a younger Michiru, her angry violet eyes looked defiantly up at the powerful silver haired dog demon.

The Inu no Taisho looked furiously at the girl before saying, "We'll finish this later," as he walked off into the house. Sesshomaru was confused about what was happening but he slowly emerged from behind the tree and approached Michiru, "Um, Michiru, what was that just now," he questioned timidly, watching where he tread. Michiru quickly wrenched her head towards Sesshomaru and shot him the same deadly look that she gave his father, Sesshomaru was caught off guard. "None of your business," she said coldly before walking off in the opposite direction.

Sesshomaru just stood there staring, still speechless from her hostility towards him. "I thought we were friends though," Sesshomaru thought as he recalled all the times that they had played on the large estate together when they were younger. Lately a distance had grown between them and they stopped playing together, sometimes they would pass in the hallway but didn't make eye contact, he could tell that something inside her had changed but he decided not to say anything. He remembered the look she gave him and shivered, "She's not the same person that I was friends with," he thought as he shook the thoughts of her out of his mind.

Sesshomaru began to walk back into the house and into his room, he silently ate dinner and went to sleep. When he woke up in the morning something inside of him changed, he wasn't sure what it was but something changed. That morning his father had called an emergency meeting of the demon council and him being the eldest son had to attend. Sesshomaru made his way towards the large conference hall, all the demons and demonesses had gathered, he took his seat next to his father and they started to talk about a serious disturbance on the estate.

"She has been practicing strange dark magic recently," the Inu no Taisho explained to the council, when they heard this, their faces turned into those of concern. "We obviously need to punish this demoness, whoever it is," one of the demons spoke up, with that everyone nodded in agreement with their thoughts. Before they could continue with the meeting someone opened the door loudly and rudely, the demoness stepped into the room with a deadly look in her eyes. Sesshomaru continued to sit there, unfazed by the sudden appearance of the uninvited guest. Sesshomaru's father looked up with outrage in his eyes towards the intruder, his eyes slightly widened when he saw who was standing in the doorway, "Michiru," he mumbled slightly.

When she heard her name from the Inu no Taisho's lips she couldn't help but smirk evilly. All of the demons in the room could tell that this was the demoness he was referring to earlier, they could tell by the now dark aura that surrounded the young demoness. Sesshomaru calmly stood up from his seat next to his father, all eyes were now on him. He drew the powerful sword that was on his side and stood in front of Michiru with blade ready. She continued to smirk when she saw Sesshomaru move to stand in front of her and challenge her.

"Humph, you think you can beat me?! I want to see you kill your friend," she spoke, confident that Sesshomaru would be unable to slay her. Sesshomaru felt insulted that she doubted his ability to cut all ties with her, he gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. Sesshomaru moved his foot slightly and he disappeared, he reappeared in front of Michiru with the blade of his sword held against her neck. She was shocked and was unable to move, "I didn't even see him move," Michiru thought, unable to comprehend how much power Sesshomaru possessed.

Sesshomaru looked coldly into her now scared violet eyes as he growled threateningly, "You underestimate my abilities." He pressed the blade closer to her neck, now drawing blood. "Stop Sesshomaru," his father spoke, Sesshomaru looked back towards his father and saw the seriousness in his eyes. Sesshomaru lowered his sword hesitantly and stood up straight, sheathing his sword and stepping back to allow his father to deal with the disruptive demoness.

"Michiru, I ban you from the western lands forever for your treasons against this land," he spoke with power in his voice. Michiru was about to protest but glanced at Sesshomaru and saw his deadly serious face, she involuntarily shivered when his icy glare was placed upon her. She narrowed her eyes at Sesshomaru before disappearing in a large purple cloud of smoke.

"That was the last time that I saw Michiru," Sesshomaru thought as he finished reminiscing over the past incident. Sesshomaru stood up and his demon thought instantly, _I need to tell Kagome and clear up any misunderstandings. _He moved towards the door and quickly slid it open and walked down the hallway. He stopped and looked outside at the trees, a cool breeze blew through the branches, "It will soon change seasons," he mumbled.

Kagome sat at Inuyasha's bedside and held his hand, she looked at his face in concern. She felt his fingertips twitch, Kagome gripped his hand a little tighter and couldn't help but smile at the slight chance that he could wake up. His eyelids twitched slightly and Kagome just stared at his face, hopeful that he would wake up soon. "Kagome," Inuyasha mumbled, still not completely awake, Kagome couldn't help but smile towards him.

Sesshomaru continued walking down the hallway towards Kagome's room. When he got there he stood in front of the door, hesitating to knock. Sesshomaru looked at his feet and swallowed his nervousness, he realized that this was another feeling that he didn't have before he met the miko, _what she does to me, _his demon purred as he thought about her. Sesshomaru knocked on the door and waited, there was no response. Sesshomaru continued to knock once again, again no response, he was starting to become impatient. Sesshomaru slid the door open suddenly and looked around the room, Kagome was nowhere to be seen.


	9. Chapter 9

Unknown Feelings

**A/N: Ok, here's the next chapter, hope you guys like it! I think a lot of feelings are conveyed in this chapter ^-^ also, the flower lavender symbolizes love and devotion, just saying, it's going to be important in this chapter and for the rest of the story. Feel free to leave a review, I like seeing what you guys think about my story :D**

Chapter 9

Inuyasha slowly woke from a deep slumber, the first thing he saw was Kagome's concerned face as she sat next to his bedside, waiting for him to wake. Instinctively, Inuyasha reached out to her with his hand and gently touched her cheek, Kagome was surprised by the sudden contact but soon realized that Inuyasha was awake. A bright smile crossed her face as she looked at Inuyasha as relief washed over her, "I'm so glad you're awake, how are you feeling," Kagome questioned. Inuyasha smiled at the warm welcome, "I'm fine," he spoke simply as the small smile stayed on his face as he looked upon Kagome's smiling face.

Kagome's smile faded as she looked at her hands and started fidgeting, "I'm a horrible friend," Kagome said as she hid her eyes from Inuyasha with her bangs. The statement startled Inuyasha and he looked at her with concern but she wouldn't make eye contact with him, "Why would you say that, Kagome, you're an amazing friend," Inuyasha said, trying to comfort her. Kagome shook her head when she heard his comment, "I didn't come to see you immediately, in fact, I forgot about your condition," Kagome spoke with regret in her voice.

Inuyasha just looked at her while she silently scolded herself again, suddenly he started laughing. The sound shocked Kagome and she looked up to see him laughing at her, "W-What' s so funny," Kagome asked nervously, starting to worry about his condition. Inuyasha started to calm down before he spoke, "That's what you're so worried about," Inuyasha questioned incredulously. Kagome just sat there silently, Inuyasha took a deep breath and calmly stated, "That's ok, Kagome. You were hurt too and I'm not petty enough to hate you for something as small as that." Inuyasha showed a smile of reassurance, Kagome looked him in the eyes and smiled as well.

After he confirmed that Kagome wasn't in her room, Sesshomaru silently left the room. He walked down the hallway and motioned for a maid that was walking past, towards him. "Do you know where the miko is," he questioned, giving the maid an unintentional cold glare. She shivered slightly before answering, "I-I heard that she was tending to Master Inuyasha's injuries," she spoke in a startled voice, she understood that was all he had to ask her so she hurried down the hall.

Sesshomaru started walking towards Inuyasha's bedroom and as he stood outside the room but was unable to enter. "What would you say? That you want to see the miko," his head questioned in a mocking tone. Sesshomaru was able to sense Kagome and Inuyasha's presence in the room but he just stood there unable to knock on the thin material that made up the sliding door that separated him from Kagome. "I'll just explain to her later, she's with Inuyasha anyway, I don't want to interrupt them," he thought as he walked away from the door.

Inuyasha sensed Sesshomaru's presence at the door but for some reason he wasn't entering, Inuyasha wondered about this but decided to not say anything about it to Kagome. Inuyasha felt Sesshomaru's presence at the door for a couple of minutes before it disappeared, "What's going on with Sesshomaru, this isn't like him," Inuyasha thought as Kagome talked happily, unaware of the demon Lord that used to be standing outside the door.

After talking a little longer Kagome decided to return to her room, "I'll come by tomorrow," she said to Inuyasha as she stood up to leave. He just nodded as he watched her move towards the door and leave. Kagome proceeded back to her room and entered, she immediately noticed the great demon Lord sitting on her bed, waiting for her return. "S-Sesshomaru," Kagome stuttered in surprise at the unexpected appearance of the demon Lord.

The movement of the door caught Sesshomaru's attention and he watched as Kagome entered her room. He had to hold back a smirk when he saw her surprise, he got off the bed and walked towards her. Kagome followed him with her eyes as he walked towards her until he stood in front of Kagome, she looked up at him and looked down at her, "I need to explain myself," Sesshomaru simply spoke.

At first, Kagome was confused but she remembered the demoness that she saw at the front gate, her heart fell slightly but she tried to hide it to the best of her abilities. Kagome nodded slightly and moved towards a set of chairs and a table in front of a large window, Sesshomaru followed. They sat in the chairs and Kagome motioned for Sesshomaru to continue, "She's not my intended," Sesshomaru stated, getting straight to the point.

Kagome was confused, unsure of what to believe but she stayed quiet, hoping for Sesshomaru to explain more. Sesshomaru looked into her eyes and saw that there was confusion swirling around, he took a deep breath before continuing, "It's true that we know each other from my past but nothing happened, she lived in the palace as well but was banished after my father learned of her secret practicing of dark magic," Sesshomaru stated. Kagome just listened and nodded her head when he finished explaining, when she heard that there was nothing between them Kagome couldn't help but feel as though a chain that had wrapped around her heart was suddenly broken.

"Thank you Sesshomaru for coming here to explain, I'm glad," Kagome said truthfully as she smiled at him and Sesshomaru just nodded while his demon purred within. _I was finally able to make her smile, _his demon rejoiced from inside as Sesshomaru just sat there. Kagome looked out the large window and saw the garden outside, she watched as the wind gently blew through the leaves and shook the branches. Some of the wind came in through the window and softly picked up her hair, her long black locks danced around in the wind. Sesshomaru watched as she looked out the window, oblivious to Sesshomaru admiring her.

_How beautiful, _his demon continued to purr within his chest as he watched Kagome admire the nature from the window. Sesshomaru suddenly stood up, the abrupt movement in the peaceful moment instantaneously caught Kagome's attention and she looked up at the demon Lord once again. "Would you like to take a walk with me through the gardens," Sesshomaru asked in an almost sincere voice. "Am I really that easy to read," Kagome asked herself, she blushed and nodded shyly.

Kagome stood up as well and they made their way out of Kagome's room and down the hall, the few servants that passed them had to take a double take, the great demon Lord Sesshomaru was getting along with a human , much less a human miko. They exited the building and Sesshomaru led her down a path that weaved in and out of the trees, allowing her to see all the garden had to offer. Kagome walked beside Sesshomaru, taking in the beauty of the flowers and trees all around her, unable to take her eyes off of the loveliness of the pure nature surrounding them.

Kagome stopped walking and squatted down to look at bunches of beautiful purple flowers, she bent her head down and smelled the flower. The flower released a potent but soft smell, "Lavender," Kagome mumbled as she continued to admire the flowers that surrounded them in the vast garden. Sesshomaru sensed that she stopped walking and he did as well, he turned around to see her marveling the sweet smelling lavender patch. He continued to watch as her graceful fingers brushed against the blossoms of the lavender, his demon inwardly smiled at her gentleness towards all living things.

Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru and began to smile and laugh, Sesshomaru just stood still, in awe of her carefree smile. Kagome looked back at the beautiful lavender and tenderly picked a single lavender stalk, she looked at in her hand as she stood back up gracefully. Her eyes never left the flower until she stood up completely straight, she looked back at Sesshomaru with gentleness in her dark brown eyes.

Her eyes held wisdom beyond her years and compassion for all, with those eyes she looked at the great demon Lord and a serene smile graced her lips. She extended the hand that was holding the lavender towards Sesshomaru, offering him the small flower that held so much meaning. Sesshomaru hesitantly accepted the flower, he held it in his hand as they continued to walk through the calming garden side by side.

Suddenly there was a disturbance in the garden and they both turned around in attempts to figure out what had shattered the peacefulness that had settled upon the garden. As they looked down the path that they just came down, they saw as Rin ran through the trees with a little Shippo chasing after her. Rin spotted them and her face lit up, she reached Kagome and Sesshomaru and she hid behind Kagome's legs as Kagome just laughed in amusement at their playfulness.

Shippo soon reached them and started chasing Rin around Kagome's legs as Kagome looked at them and smiled, occasionally laughing. After a while of watching them run around Kagome, Sesshomaru cleared his throat, signaling to Rin to stop her foolishness before someone was hurt. Rin immediately stopped running and Shippo almost crashed into her back when she stopped so suddenly. Rin looked up at Kagome and smiled a goofy grin, "You look beautiful, Kagome," Rin commented. Kagome blushed slightly before thanking Rin for the wonderful complement, "What is my Lord and Lady Kagome doing out in the garden," Rin questioned Sesshomaru.

"We're taking a walk, the Miko wished to see the vast garden so I offered to show her myself," Sesshomaru explained to the young child as she ran and hugged his legs. Shippo scurried up Kagome's body and rested on her shoulder after he hugged her. "For a minute it looked like you guys were on a date," Shippo blurted out, Kagome and Sesshomaru went completely silent as they stood there awkwardly. Rin sensed the heavy atmosphere and simply hit Shippo upside the back of his head, "Stupid, even if it did look like that, you don't say it," Rin scolded Shippo.

"Don't you guys have something else to do, maybe you could help the maids in the kitchen," Kagome suggested as she lifted the fox kit from her shoulder and placed him on the ground in an attempt to get rid of the awkward atmosphere. Rin nodded before grinning and striking Shippo on his shoulder and running off, "Tag, you're it," she yelled behind her. Shippo had a competitive look in his eyes before he ran after his playmate, leaving Kagome and Sesshomaru alone together once again.

"Ha ha, kids, they say anything that's on their mind," Kagome said while laughing nervously. Sesshomaru nodded in agreement to her statement, "Should we continue with our walk," Sesshomaru asked in a gentlemanly tone. Kagome was taken aback by him taking initiative in bringing back the peacefulness that was once upon the garden. Kagome nodded happily as they began to walk down the path once again, side by side with less space in between the demon Lord and the human miko. Kagome noticed that Sesshomaru still held the small lavender flower she had given him in his hand, she simply smiled up at him with her serene smile as they continued down the path that led them through the garden.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**A/N: Ok, here is the next chapter, hope you guys like it! Lavender is in here again so if you don't remember, Lavender means love and devotion in the language of flowers so I like how that symbolizes their feelings in this story ^-^ anyways, feel free to leave a review, I read all of them and I'm always checking for new ones. I love hearing what you think about my story and seeing you guys so eager for the next chapters, anyways, enjoy!**

Kagome continued to walk alongside the great demon Lord as they strolled through the thriving garden, as they moved through the trees Kagome gazed around at the beautiful life around her. Sesshomaru would casually glace over at her and see the amazement in her eyes and the wonder that was upon her face. When Sesshomaru's demon saw how serene her face was in his presence he was calmed as well and couldn't help but allow a small smile to cross his lips. Kagome looked through the dense branches of the tall trees and saw rays of sunlight peeking through, she smiled even wider at the warmth that the small rays of sunlight brought to the earth.

She turned towards Sesshomaru and smiled, this action slightly warmed the demon Lord's heart. His body suddenly stopped moving and his golden eyes widened when he felt his whole body pulse as he gazed upon her caring smile towards him, he was taken aback by the sudden affect that her smile had upon his cold heart. Kagome saw this reaction and a worried look crossed her once peaceful face, "Sesshomaru, are you okay," Kagome questioned as she instinctively reached out and gently grabbed his hand. The feel of the warmth from her small hand in his hand brought his attention back to this world, he shook his head slightly to clear it before nodded towards Kagome reassuringly.

"I'm fine," Sesshomaru spoke but noticed that there was still doubt in her dark brown eyes as they looked up at him, Sesshomaru allowed the smile that graced his lips earlier to return to his face to bring comfort to the small miko before him. Kagome was surprised by the simple smile that crossed Sesshomaru's face, "How beautiful," Kagome calmly thought as her eyes softened at his smile. "Shall we continue," Kagome asked him, "I'm beginning to sound more and more like Sesshomaru," Kagome thought to herself as she recalled his elegant way of speaking that even made insults sound regal. Sesshomaru nodded and Kagome began to walk ahead, still holding the demon Lord's hand in hers.

Sesshomaru continued to look at their hands as their fingers were interlaced while Kagome walked in front of him down the path. Kagome suddenly remembered that she was still holding Sesshomaru's hand, she blushed deeply and moved to separate their hands. Sesshomaru felt her start to pull her hand away from his but his demon wouldn't allow it, he tightened his grip on her small hand slightly to convey that he didn't want to let go. Kagome's eyes widened in surprise at Sesshomaru's actions but kept her back towards him so he couldn't see her deeply flushed face. After Sesshomaru showed his unwillingness to let go, she adjusted her hand and made it where their hands fit together perfectly.

Kagome slowed down her walking and Sesshomaru began to walk beside her, this time Kagome kept her eyes on the ground with her bangs hiding her eyes and blushing cheeks. Sesshomaru looked at her as she kept her head down, trying to sort her thoughts. "I shouldn't be so confused, I should just enjoy this moment with him," Kagome told herself before she looked up at Sesshomaru and gave him her smile. They walked through the trees, down the path, hand in hand.

As the end of the path came into view, a sad thought crossed Kagome's mind, "Now that Inuyasha and I have almost completely recovered, we won't be able to stay here any longer." As this depressing thought gathered in Kagome's mind, her cheerful aura darkened slightly and Sesshomaru immediately noticed but decided to say nothing of it. They reached the end of the path eventually, they released their hands and turned towards each other, Kagome bowed deeply, "Thank you for this amazing tour of the gardens," Kagome said as she raised her head. Sesshomaru nodded and Kagome turned to return to her room, leaving Sesshomaru alone. He looked at the hand that had been in contact with Kagome's, _I can still feel her purity and warmth,_ his demon thought as he calmly looked at his palm.

Sesshomaru's attention was brought to his other hand, the hand that still held the lavender flower that Kagome had given him. He raised the flower to his nose and gently inhaled the fragrant scent of the small blossom. The scent brought a calming feeling over him and he felt relaxed, _this flower makes me feel the way I do around Kagome, calm and fascinated,_ his demon thought thoughtfully as he drowned in the scent of the small lavender blossom given to him by the miko. _The lavender reminds me of her in every way,_ his demon said as he looked at the purple blossom in his hand.

Sesshomaru suddenly remembered the change in Kagome's aura at the end of their walk, the idea perplexed him. Sesshomaru turned and walked back to his room, he motioned for a maid that was passing by, "Send a small vase filled half way with water to my room," Sesshomaru told her, she nodded and hurried off to fetch what he requested. Sesshomaru continued to his room, he set the piece of lavender by his bedside and sat on his bed, wondering what had saddened the miko. The maid returned with the vase and gently knocked on the door, "Lord Sesshomaru, I've brought what you requested," she spoke through the door. "Just leave it outside the door," Sesshomaru spoke as he continued to contemplate what had saddened the miko.

The maid just nodded and set the vase down before leaving the door, Sesshomaru stood up and slid the door open, he bent down and picked up the delicate vase that was on the ground. He placed the petite vase on the night stand and stuck the small lavender blossom into the water. Sesshomaru sat on the bed again and looked at the blossom, as he looked at the flower he remembered how the flower's scent had reminded him of Kagome. A calming smile crossed his face as he thought about the memories that they had created just recently as he looked upon the small blossom within the vase.

Rin slid the door open suddenly and burst into the room loudly, her hair was slightly messed up and her face was flushed from running around the estate with Shippo. "Lord Sesshomaru," Rin said happily as she ran towards him and smiled her toothy grin up at him. She crawled up onto the bed and sat beside him, she immediately noticed that his gaze was upon a small purple flower that sat in a vase on his nightstand. "What's that flower," Rin questioned, "It's from the garden, when I took a walk with Kagome," Sesshomaru spoke as he kept his eyes on the piece of lavender.

Rin noticed that there was something special about it to him but knowing Sesshomaru, he wouldn't tell her so she decided to not ask him anything more about the dainty flower. "Shippo and I had so much fun, we ran all around the castle, ran into Kagome and Lord Sesshomaru, and even helped a little with preparing dinner," Rin spoke, trying to gain Sesshomaru's attention and change the topic. Sesshomaru ripped his eyes from the flower and looked at Rin, "What was it that you helped with for dinner," he asked her. Rin smiled her goofy smile and stuck out her tongue before speaking, "You'll have to figure it out," she said playfully. Sesshomaru was quiet before speaking, "When the miko and I finished our walk, I sensed some sort of sadness in her aura," Sesshomaru started, "I would like it if you would go and talk to her and figure out what has upset her," Sesshomaru finished explaining.

Rin smiled a wide knowing smile, "Got it," she said happily while winking at him. She jumped off the bed and ran to the door, she slid the door open but before exiting, she bowed. Then she shut the door and ran down the hallway to Kagome's room. She knocked on the door than slightly slid the door open, she peeked her head in and saw Kagome sitting in a chair by her window, Kagome looked up and happily smiled at Rin, welcoming her in. Rin entered the room and moved towards the other chair that was across from Kagome's. "Hey, Rin, what brings you here," Kagome asked cheerfully, Rin looked up at her, "What made you sad," Rin asked suddenly.

Kagome was confused about what Rin was asking her about, "What do you mean, Rin," she questioned. "Sesshomaru told me that near the end of the walk he sensed a tinge of sadness in your aura and I was wondering what it was," Rin explained. "Sesshomaru noticed that about me," Kagome asked herself, "I guess that means he sent Rin to figure out what was troubling me," Kagome figured, she blushed slightly at the sweet thought of Sesshomaru worrying about her. "Well," Kagome began, "As you know, Inuyasha awakened this morning and don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that he's healed and awake, but a part of me is saddened because there is now no reason for me to stay here," Kagome spoke with sadness in her eyes as she finally accepted her feelings.

Rin watched Kagome as she spoke and she saw the changes in her eyes, Rin couldn't help but be touched by Kagome's feelings. Rin got up from the chair and walked over to Kagome's, she stood on her tippy toes and hugged Kagome gently, Kagome was surprised by this action but soon embraced the young girl as well. Rin pulled away and looked into Kagome's eyes, "My Lord, Lord Sesshomaru, sent me here to find out what was troubling you," Rin explained and Kagome smiled, "He was really worried about you," Rin said while smiling widely. "I've never seen him like this," Rin spoke and Kagome couldn't help but smile. "Thank you Rin for cheering me up," Kagome said as he hugged the little girl once more.

Rin smiled, "Anytime, I've gotta go report this to Sesshomaru now," Rin said as she moved towards the door. Kagome smiled and laughed as the little girl left the room and headed down the hall again, towards Sesshomaru's room. Rin entered Sesshomaru's room once more, she sat on his bed next to him once again and explained to him, "Kagome was sad because she realized that she had no reason to stay here any longer," Rin explained and Sesshomaru listened. "She does have a point, now that Inuyasha is awake, the days that they are here are limited," Sesshomaru thought unhappily, making a frown at the thought of the miko leaving him once more. Sesshomaru continued to think about what to do to keep the miko by his side.

Dinner was soon but uneventful, Inuyasha was in a healthy enough condition to attend dinner that night. Kagome returned to her room and she prepared for bed, after cleaning herself and getting dressed for bed she sat by the window, looking up at the vast night sky with the stars twinkling down at her. A soft and cool breeze floated in through the window and Kagome continued to look up at the beautiful night sky, after a few minutes of studying the stars Kagome started to climb into her bed and sleep soon claimed her.

Kagome woke to the light of the rising sun that filtered in through the window, she sat up in her bed and stretched her arms above her head. A large yawn escaped her and she quickly used her hand to cover her mouth, Kagome continued to rub the sleep from her eyes. Suddenly she noticed a pleasant smell that was so familiar but she was unable to put her finger on the source of the fragrant smell, a beautiful and calming smell mixed with a floral scent. The fragrance seemed to wrap itself around her, she felt as though she should know what the scent was but couldn't figure it out. Kagome looked around the large room for the source of the scent that was so familiar, there she found a white vase sitting on the table that was between the two chairs. In the vase were a bouquet of freshly picked lavender blossoms from the garden, "Sesshomaru," Kagome whispered as she looked at the vase and a smile escaped her lips.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**A/N: Yay! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! I kinda gave Inuyasha a dark role but it just adds to the story ^-^ I hope you guys like it, feel free to review, I love hearing what my readers have to say and they have good ideas for the plot so I hope to incorporate some of their ideas into this story as well. So remember to review! ^-^ Now you enjoy this chapter.**

Kagome lifted the covers off her body and emerged from the large bed and gracefully moved towards the table that had the vase of lavender upon it. She gently raised a blossom from the vase and to her nose, inhaling the dreamy scent of the lavender. Kagome's eyes closed as she embraced the scent once again, the corners of her mouth raised as she remembered the long peaceful walk through the lush gardens with Sesshomaru by her side. The sweet memories only lasted so long, Kagome opened her eyes and was brought back to the present. Kagome placed the piece of lavender back into the small vase before beginning to get dressed and preparing for the rest of the day.

Kagome dressed herself in a light blue kimono with white magnolia flowers and branches decorated around the edges. She slide the door open but before she stepped out, she glanced behind her at the vase of lavender and smiled, "What a sweet gift from the 'cold hearted' Sesshomaru," Kagome thought as she exited the room and closed the door. She made her way down the hall and towards Inuyasha's room, greeting a few nurses on the way. Kagome knocked on the door, "Come in," Inuyasha spoke from inside, Kagome entered as Inuyasha sat up in his bed, she smiled happily at him.

Inuyasha's face flushed a little at the radiant smile that Kagome had upon her face, he turned his face away from her to hide his embarrassment. Kagome saw this and was confused by his actions, she moved towards the side of the bed and suddenly put her hand on his forehead while she put her other hand on her own forehead. Inuyasha looked up at her, startled, but when he saw the concern on her face for him he blushed deeper. "No fever," Kagome thought to herself as she compared their temperatures, after she confirmed that one more time she removed her hands from their foreheads.

It was then that from the close contact Inuyasha sensed something different and unfamiliar mingling with Kagome's normal scent, he sat there confused about what it was. It was a scent he should have known but, for some reason, was unknown to him. It was a musky smell with a hint of lavender mixed in, suddenly Inuyasha remembered whose scent it was, it was Sesshomaru's. "What was she doing with him," Inuyasha wondered angrily, the thought of Kagome alone with Sesshomaru made his blood boil. Kagome gently put her hand on his arm to get his attention, bring him out of his thoughts, Inuyasha looked at her small hand on his arm and the thought of her touching him with the same hands that she touched Sesshomaru with disgusted him.

Inuyasha ripped his arm away from Kagome's hand, the sudden and violent gesture surprised Kagome, after she recovered from her surprise she tried to touch his hand once again but he moved his hand away. "I-Inuyasha, what's wrong," Kagome asked, shocked and a little scared of his strange behavior. "What have you been doing with him," Inuyasha questioned as he hid his eyes with his silver bangs and stared at the sheets in his lap. "What do you mean? Who are you talking about," Kagome asked, thoroughly confused, "Don't act so stupid," Inuyasha spit with venom in his voice. Kagome was taken aback by his harsh comment, she stood up from her kneeling position and looked at her companion.

"I'm talking about Sesshomaru, what have you been doing with him behind my back," Inuyasha almost yelled. Kagome's eyes widened, "W-We only took a walk through the gardens yesterday," Kagome answered, still startled by the whole commotion. Inuyasha clenched the sheets, the thought of them alone together in a romantic place angered him to no end. "Is that all," Inuyasha questioned, still unable to make eye contact with Kagome, she nodded and spoke, "Yes." Inuyasha's rage made him unreasonable and his mind went wild at the possibilities of what could have happened between the two while he was busy recovering, "Liar," Inuyasha yelled at Kagome.

Kagome flinched at the spike of anger in the room and the sudden outburst from Inuyasha, "I'm not lying and why does it even matter to you," Kagome said, going on the defensive. The question circled around Inuyasha's head but all rationality was out the window, "You're right," Inuyasha said as he continued to stare at his lap. "About what," Kagome asked, "You are a horrible friend," Inuyasha said coldly. Kagome's eyes widened, these words that he uttered from his lips hit her in the heart and her eyes began to water in sadness and anger.

The salty smell of tears came to Inuyasha's sensitive nose and he looked up to see Kagome holding back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes and onto her cheeks. He looked up at her with shock, "What have I said," Inuyasha questioned himself as he looked at the girl that had been the greatest friend possible, she had stood by him when the whole world shunned him as a mistake, she was faithful even when he wasn't, she brought their whole group together and kept them together, she was so strong through it all, cheering everyone up even if she hurt, thinking of everyone before herself but here he was, calling her a horrible friend.

Kagome struggled to see though her eyes that were blurred with tears, she hid her eyes with her bangs and allowed two tears to fall, Inuyasha saw as the tears left her eyes and hit the wooden floor below them. She slowly approached Inuyasha's bed, without even thinking, Kagome raised her hand and slapped Inuyasha across the face. Inuyasha was shocked by the sudden blow to his face and hid his face with his bangs, embarrassed and aggravated with himself for saying those things to the sweetest and most understanding girl he knew and would probably ever know.

"I can't believe you just said that to me," Kagome spoke with anger in her voice, "I can't believe you just called me a horrible friend," Kagome said as she looked at Inuyasha with rage burning in her dark brown eyes. "After all I've been through for you," Kagome said, trailing off as she looked at the floor and tears began to form once again in her eyes. "It should be the other way around, I should be calling you a horrible friend," Kagome said as she looked up angrily, letting the tears fall as she ran and exited the room. Inuyasha sat there in shock at her last words before leaving, deep down, he knew she was right.

Kagome ran down the hallway, wiping the tears from her eyes and she ran back to her room. The tears warped her vision and she found herself bumping into someone, "I'm sorry," Kagome said as she tried to move around the person but they wouldn't allow that. "Please, just let me by," Kagome said as the tears started to fall even more in frustration. "Kagome," a low but gently voice said to her and strong arms held onto her. That was all it took, the dam broke and the tears started to flow uncontrollably as Kagome crumpled to the floor and onto her knees.

Sesshomaru had been walking down the hallway when someone suddenly bumped into him, he looked down at them, ready to be mad but his eyes softened when he saw that it was Kagome. The smell of salt water reached his nose and he realized that she was crying, she apologized to him and tried to move around him but he wouldn't allow that. She pleaded for him to let her around, Sesshomaru was shocked by the condition that Kagome was in. "What could have possibly happened to make her this upset," he wondered. _Whatever or whoever it was, I'll crush them without any thought for making her cry,_ his demon thought. "Kagome," Sesshomaru spoke gently, right as he said that she slumped to her knees and the tears fell faster.

Sesshomaru kneeled down to her and wrapped his arms around her, trying his best to comfort the sad miko. They sat on the floor for a few minutes as Kagome cried and Sesshomaru kept his arms around her, soothing her to the best of his ability. When Kagome's breathing calmed Sesshomaru slowly moved to pick her up, he lifted her bridal style effortlessly and brought her to her room. Sesshomaru placed her on her bed and sat there with her, after the tears stopped Sesshomaru spoke, "What is it that caused you this much pain, miko," he questioned, _tell me so I can crush them_. Kagome sniffled before looking at Sesshomaru, she looked deep into his golden eyes, "His eyes seem warmer than usual," Kagome thought.

Kagome continued to look into his warm golden eyes and allowed their calmness and concern to comfort and calm herself. "Inuyasha," Kagome spoke, the name resonated through Sesshomaru's head, _I'm not surprised, that imbecile,_ Sesshomaru's demon growled. Sesshomaru instinctively moved towards the door, intent to end his half-brother's life but was stopped when he felt a slight tug on the arm of his kimono. He turned to see Kagome silently holding a part of his kimono in her small hand, "Kagome," Sesshomaru mumbled. "Please, just stay with me for now," Kagome said as she looked at her lap, embarrassed from the request.

Sesshomaru's angry eyes softened when he heard her request, "Of course," Sesshomaru said as he moved back towards the bed and sat beside her. "Could you explain to me what happened," Sesshomaru questioned, watching what he said as to not make her feel worse. "I'm not really sure myself," Kagome said as she messed with her thumbs as she recalled the events. "I went to Inuyasha's room to check on him, as I was caring for him he suddenly became angry at me and started asking about what we had been doing, saying that we were doing something behind his back," Kagome said in a troubled tone.

"After I told him that we only went on a walk together and nothing more, he started yelling about how I was lying," Kagome continued. "Then," Kagome paused and the sorrowful look returned to her face, "Then he said I was a horrible friend," Kagome said as she trailed off, just the memory of the event hurt her heart. Sesshomaru looked into her eyes and saw just how much this incident had hurt her, the fact that Inuyasha would do something this cruel to the little miko made Sesshomaru want to hurt him as much as he had hurt her.

Sesshomaru clenched his fists as he listened to the way Inuyasha had treated her, Kagome noticed this and she silently put her hand on top of his own. Sesshomaru looked at her and she smiled at him, _she's brave and strong enough to smile even though she's going through so much pain herself,_ Sesshomaru's demon commented as Sesshomaru just looked at her. "Whenever I saw her by Inuyasha's side and him protecting her I thought that she was just another weak human but now that I see her, she's not weak at all. She doesn't have the same kind of strength that the others in her group have but she does have strength, maybe even more than all of them. She smiles through the pain to cheer others up even if it hurts her, she thinks of others more than she thinks of herself, she stands up for what she believes and what others fight to protect, she will stand up every time she is knocked down, and she would risk her life for another," Sesshomaru thought, finally realizing Kagome's strength and bravery.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A/N: Here is the next chapter, hope you guys like it. Today I had the Reading and Writing STAAR EOC so fingers crossed I passed ^-^ Anyways, all reviews are appreciated, I love hearing the feedback and your thoughts ^-^ well I'll post next week :D**

Kagome eventually fell asleep from the emotion overload, Sesshomaru gently tucked her back into her bed. His fingers lingered as he moved a piece of her midnight hair out of her now peaceful face. Sesshomaru pulled his hand away but continued to stand there for a little longer before quietly exiting her room. Sesshomaru stood outside of the room, his fists clenched as he thought of what Inuyasha had said to the pure miko that had practically cried herself to sleep.

His aura peaked as his anger for the half breed flared, Sesshomaru moved down the hall with hate and fury in his now hard golden eyes. A maid that was walking down the hallway stopped and bowed her head to her lord, when she raised her head she self-consciously shivered from the cold aura he was giving off. She turned and hurried down the hall, worried about what might happen soon after. Sesshomaru paid no mind to the maid, he just continued to walk silently with a fire burning in his golden eyes.

Inuyasha just sat in his bed as he replayed the scene over and over in his head, regretting everything that had escaped his lips and torn at the fragile miko. He knew that what he said hurt Kagome a lot, his anger couldn't be contained and as a consequence he hurt the only person who cared about him and stayed by his side through every mistake he made. "I'm such a damn asshole," Inuyasha mumbled to himself as he clenched his sheets and mentally beat himself up.

Suddenly the door to his room opened loudly as someone answered him, "Yes you are, half breed." Inuyasha looked up, startled from the sudden noise, to see Sesshomaru standing in the door as he spoke in an icy tone. Inuyasha looked into Sesshomaru's eyes and involuntarily shivered as the golden orbs radiated coldness but held much hatred and anger towards him. Before Inuyasha could even think, Sesshomaru disappeared and reappeared in front of Inuyasha, Sesshomaru reached out and grabbed Inuyasha by his collar.

"You made the miko cry," Sesshomaru growled as his eyes flashed red as the thought of Kagome crying angered his demon. Inuyasha already knew this and now Sesshomaru was just making him feel even more ashamed of his actions towards Kagome. Inuyasha just diverted his eyes to the side, unable to look Sesshomaru in the eyes. This angered Sesshomaru to no end, he tightened his grip on Inuyasha's collar before lifting him up and dragging him out of his bed, his feet unable to touch the wooden floor boards below him.

Inuyasha made a choking sound as some of his breathing was cut off, "Do you have any idea how much pain you put Kagome through," Sesshomaru yelled at him. Inuyasha winced from Sesshomaru's loud and booming voice but stayed silent. Sesshomaru was staring to become frustrated with his unresponsive half-brother, he slammed Inuyasha's back against the nearby wall. Inuyasha exhaled sharply as his back and head came into contact with the strong wall. "Answer me," Sesshomaru snarled as he stared furiously at Inuyasha's face as he continued to resist eye contact. Sesshomaru dropped Inuyasha to his feet but swiftly punched him, Inuyasha stumbled to his feet as he held his cheek. "That's not even the beginning of the pain you inflicted on Kagome," Sesshomaru said behind him as he exited the room.

"It's a good thing that was able to stop myself from doing anything more," Sesshomaru thought, "If I stayed in there any longer I would have ripped him to shreds without hesitation." _Kagome wouldn't approve of that_, his demon said, "I know," Sesshomaru thought as he went back to check on Kagome. He quietly opened the door to her bedroom only to find Kagome sitting up, waiting for his return. He entered the room and sat beside her bed, "You went to talk to Inuyasha," Kagome said, breaking the silence. Sesshomaru just nodded, deciding not to tell her what happened since he knew she wouldn't like it.

Kagome just looked at Sesshomaru as he sat silently at her bedside, she already knew what had happened between the brothers. "Would you like to join me for some tea," Sesshomaru asked out of the blue, Kagome was surprised by the sudden request but smiled and accepted, "Of course," she answered cheerfully. Sesshomaru stood up as Kagome got up from her bed and followed Sesshomaru out of her room and down the hallway.

They traveled down the hallway for a little before they entered a small tea room, Kagome sat across from Sesshomaru as fresh hot tea was brought to them. "This is my own private tea room," Sesshomaru said, confirming that they wouldn't be disturbed. Kagome nodded as she reached out for her cup of tea, she held the cup in her delicate hands she blew on the steaming tea before bringing the cup to her lips and taking a sip. She withdrew the cup from her lips and looked up at Sesshomaru as she placed her cup back onto the table.

"Rin told me why you were troubled," Sesshomaru finally spoke, Kagome was then reminded of the sadness that had plagued her before the incident with Inuyasha. Her face fell as she realized what was bound to happen, "My heart hurts even more," Kagome thought. Sesshomaru watched as Kagome's expression darkened at the mention of the previous cause of grief. "I've decided," Sesshomaru continued to speak, Kagome looked up to see what Sesshomaru would say, "You and you're group can stay here as long as desired," Sesshomaru finished.

Kagome's eyes widened when she heard what Sesshomaru said, "A-Are you sure," Kagome asked him. "What are you doing, don't question it if you like it," Kagome thought as she regretted what she said, she stayed silent, hoping he wouldn't withdraw his previous statement. "What I say is final," Sesshomaru said, Kagome couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Sesshomaru saw this and inwardly smirked, "She is really interesting, she questioned what I said even though she wanted it to happen," Sesshomaru thought as he inwardly laughed at her antics.

Kagome smiled a wide smile towards Sesshomaru as her heart was filled with a new hope. Kagome gently picked up her cup of tea and raised it up for a toast, Sesshomaru understood and picked up his own cup and raised it as well. "To our future endeavors, together," Kagome said as she smiled again, they clinked their cups together before taking a sip of their tea. Kagome couldn't help but giggle, "I can't believe Sesshomaru would participate in something as childish as a toast with tea," Kagome thought as she giggled.

Sesshomaru just sat there as Kagome laughed from across the table, Sesshomaru was confused about what it was that she found so funny though. Kagome eventually stopped chuckling and proceeded to look out the window, the window looked out on the garden that they had walked through only a few days ago. "So much seems to have passed since that peaceful day," Kagome mumbled without thinking as she continued to look out the window. Sesshomaru followed her line of sight and knew what she was talking about, "Yes," Sesshomaru answered. The soft smell of lavender filtered in through the window and spread its self throughout the room, the calming and familiar scent wrapped around the two as the scent brought back sweet memories.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**A/N: I need to say sorry for not updating last weekend, I started writing but I kinda hit a wall so it's taken me a while to write something worth posting. I would have posted yesterday evening but something was going on with my internet connection so I wasn't able to. Anyways I hope you like this new chapter, feel free to leave a review. That sad moment when you have more chapters than reviews :*(**

"Thank you, Sesshomaru, for this amazing time, I really enjoyed it," Kagome said as she began to stand up from the small tea table. As she stood, she realized her legs had become numb as she was enjoying her tea with Sesshomaru. Kagome began to fall forward, "Dammit," she thought as she fell, in an instant, she felt strong arms embrace her as her face came in contact with Sesshomaru's chest. Kagome looked up to see Sesshomaru looking down at her, her face flushed a deep red as she averted her eyes.

"Thank you, Sesshomaru," Kagome said as she looked back up into his golden eyes, she saw so many emotions in his golden orbs that she hadn't seen before. As she peered into his eyes her eyes began to soften and a smile leaked from her lips. "Ah, Lord Inuyasha, I don't think you should-," a maid could be heard saying outside the door before the door opened suddenly. Inuyasha stood there, staring at the two as they stood there in each other's embrace.

"I-Inuyasha," Kagome stuttered as she looked at him, her face turning a deep red. Sesshomaru stood there unfazed by his brother's sudden appearance on the outside but in the inside he was annoyed at him for ruining the moment. Inuyasha flushed at he looked upon Sesshomaru holding Kagome in his arms, without even thinking, Inuyasha lunged at them and grabbed Kagome's wrist. He pulled Kagome out of Sesshomaru's arms, "I'm so sorry, Lord Sesshomaru, I tried to stop him," the maid said in a hurried and nervous tone as she explained herself to her lord as Kagome was yanked out of the room.

Kagome turned her head and looked at Sesshomaru with an apologetic look on her face as she disappeared behind the door with Inuyasha. Inuyasha forcibly pulled Kagome down the hall, Kagome winced when the grip on her wrist tightened, "Ah, Inuyasha, you're hurting me," Kagome exclaimed. Inuyasha suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway, Kagome almost ran into his back, he kept his back to her as he looked at the ground. "He seems troubled," Kagome thought as she looked at Inuyasha with concern, even after the terrible things he had said to her.

Inuyasha released her wrist before turning on his heel and embracing Kagome. Kagome was surprised by this sudden action but said nothing, Inuyasha hid his face in her shoulder and didn't say anything, Kagome looked at him with worry still on her face. "I'm so sorry," Inuyasha said, "I'm so sorry for everything I said, I didn't mean any of it," Inuyasha said in a regretful tone. "I shouldn't have said any of those horrible things to you, I just said the most hurtful things I could say," Inuyasha said as he hugged Kagome even tighter. The sincere apology from Inuyasha made Kagome's eyes begin to water as she hugged Inuyasha back.

As Kagome opened her mouth to speak, a loud crash could be heard as a large cloud of dust and dirt appeared in the hallway that Inuyasha and Kagome were in. From the sudden disruption, Inuyasha held Kagome closer to him as he covered her from the debris. Inuyasha turned his head to look behind him, he immediately noticed the gaping hole that was now in the wall. They watched as the dust settled, when Kagome saw who was standing there, she couldn't help but gasp as her eyes looked upon Michiru. "M-Michiru," Kagome said with a shaky and hesitant voice, Inuyasha looked at Kagome, confused about who it was that was standing in front of them.

Inuyasha cautiously released Kagome but continued to stand in front of her, hoping to protect her if the demoness in front of them was to become a threat. Kagome looked between Inuyasha and Michiru, confused by the sudden appearance of Michiru, "Who are you," Inuyasha demanded, speaking out first. This gained Michiru's attention, she glanced at Inuyasha but her eyes soon found Kagome standing behind him. Michiru's eyes burned with hatred as she looked upon the human that had gained the heart of the demon Lord, "You," Michiru boomed as she pointed at Kagome, ignoring Inuyasha. "Come here, human," Michiru said, venom dripped from the last word towards Kagome, Kagome began to move to Michiru slightly but Inuyasha stood in front of her.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha as he stood in her way, preventing her from coming in contact with the fearsome demoness. "She's going nowhere near you," Inuyasha growled as he stood protectively in front of Kagome, Michiru's eyes flashed with anger and enmity for the female human when she heard his statement. Michiru quickly hid her feelings, not allowing herself to be blinded by her hatred for the human behind the half-demon, "Humph, I see that you've captured another dog," Michiru said in a mocking tone. Inuyasha clenched his jaw, "Feh, what did you just say," he said in a challenging manner.

Inuyasha's cocky attitude pissed Michiru off, "I'll teach you your place, half-breed," Michiru spoke before charging at Inuyasha. Inuyasha just smirked as he reached for Tetsusaiga but he only felt the empty scabbard of the legendary fang, "Dammit, I must have left it in my room when I left in a hurry," Inuyasha thought as Michiru now stood in front of him. "Goodbye, mixed breed," Michiru said as she smirked while suddenly creating a large orb of dark magic from thin air. Inuyasha was caught off guard as the powerful sphere of energy appeared and grew in size, Inuyasha braced for impact when Michiru released the energy towards him.

Inuyasha was slammed into a far wall, Kagome watched in horror as he slumped to the ground, unconscious from the dark powerful energy. Kagome turned toward Michiru just to have the demoness wrap her hand around her neck, she easily lifted Kagome off the ground. Kagome looked Michiru in the eyes with determination in her dark brown eyes, not allowing the demoness to hear her in pain. Just before Kagome was about to pass out, she watched as a glowing ribbon wrapped around the wrist that was clasped around her neck. Kagome immediately realized whose it was, "Sesshomaru," Kagome thought, relieved.

Michiru dropped Kagome from the unexpected contact with Sesshomaru's poison whip, she recoiled her wrist to her chest, gently rubbing it. Kagome began to fall to the floor but was soon caught by strong arms that supported and comforted her. There Sesshomaru stood with Kagome in his arms, he looked at Kagome's face with calmness and kindness. He turned around and laid Kagome down behind him before turning back towards Michiru with rage and distaste in his golden eyes.

Michiru was taken aback from the sudden change in Sesshomaru's eyes, "He looked at her with such caring eyes yet he looks upon me with such hatred as though I'm a spawn from hell," Michiru thought as she shot a look at the unconscious miko on the floor behind him. Sesshomaru saw where her gaze was and stepped in front of Kagome, "Why are you here, again," Sesshomaru questioned in his monotone voice. "I was just checking on you," Michiru said as she tried to sound concerned. Sesshomaru gracefully raised his brow at her, he held back his urge to laugh in her face, "Who does she think she's kidding, she doesn't even believe her own lie," Sesshomaru thought.

"You don't have to tell me, I care not either way, so long as you leave my presence now," Sesshomaru said coldly. Michiru angrily let out a huff of air, feeling insulted by the demon Lord's treatment of her, "You don't know how to treat a lady," Michiru commented. "You are not a lady, you are scum," Sesshomaru coldly, "Now leave my presence," he commanded. Michiru clenched her fists when she heard his insult, "How dare you," she screamed at him as she began to attack him in a fit of rage. Sesshomaru smirked as he dodged all of her attacks without a challenge, "It didn't take you long to lose your cool façade," he commented.

"You bastard," she continued to yell at him. After a few more attempts to hit him, Michiru pulled back, she stayed a few feet away from him now panting hard as he stood in front of her with a calm air around him still. "Dammit," she spoke as she wiped away a thin layer of sweat from her upper lip, she began to reach for the small knife at her hip. Sesshomaru noticed this and summoned his poison whip, Michiru drew the short knife from the small scabbard and charged at Sesshomaru once again, in a blink of an eye Sesshomaru's poison whip was wrapped around her neck. Michiru stood there frozen in her footsteps, "H-How is this possible," Michiru questioned incredulously.

"I couldn't be beat this easily," Michiru thought disbelievingly as she struggled to figure out how to escape this deadly situation. She looked at the unconscious Kagome once more before looking back at Sesshomaru and smirking. "You think you've won, how cute," Michiru said in a mocking tone as she looked at Sesshomaru with pity in her eyes. Sesshomaru saw this and his brows furrowed, "I don't need anyone's pity, much less from scum like her," Sesshomaru thought as his golden eyes became hard.

She glanced at Kagome one last time and smiled darkly before summoning a dark purple cloud to engulf Kagome, Sesshomaru saw her gaze towards Kagome and turned to check on her only to see her being covered in an ominous purple cloud. Sesshomaru tried to reach for her only to grasp a fading cloud, he turned towards Michiru with pure hate in his eyes, "What are you doing with her," he growled ferociously as his once calm golden eyes now flashed red in fury.

Michiru just allowed a sinister smile to cross her lips, satisfied with the reaction she got from the demon Lord. "Isn't it obvious, I'm taking something precious to you so you can suffer," Michiru said cruelly, "Who would have guessed it would ever be a human though," Michiru continued as she mocked him. Sesshomaru clenched his jaw in frustration, "Damn, I couldn't protect her," Sesshomaru thought as he became angry at himself.

Michiru continued to watch as Sesshomaru became angered with himself, "My, how the great demon Lord of the West, Sesshomaru, has fallen, having feelings for a human, how disgraceful," Michiru spoke as she looked at Sesshomaru and his internal battle. "This must run in your blood line, first your father, now you, and your half breed of a brother seems to have developed feelings for this young human girl as well," Michiru said as she smudged their honor. "I wonder what's so special about this perfectly normal human girl that two Inu demons would develop feelings for her," Michiru thought out loud.

Sesshomaru lunged at her, trying to slash at her with his claws only to cut the thin air. Sesshomaru looked at his hand and clenched his fist in frustration, he stood there in silence as his brain replayed everything that happened. He continued to blame himself for what happened to Kagome, suddenly he turned and punched the wooden wall beside him in irritation. He withdrew his hand from the large hole in the wall, "Dammit," he muttered as he wondered what was going to happen to Kagome.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**A/N: I would have posted sooner but my internet is still doing weird stuff (trust me, it hurts me more than it hurts you) anyways I really hope you enjoy this chapter, if you want something to happen in the story feel free to leave a review and I'll be happy to look at it. Please review, I see all of these stories with hundreds of reviews and here I am with 12 (less than the number of chapters D:, please help) but for real, I really love hearing what you guys have to say so please review! Now you can continue to the story. :D**

Kagome slowly woke only to find herself unable to move her arms, "Huh," she questioned in confusion as she tried to move her hands once again but only heard the chains around her wrists rattle. Kagome looked to see that her wrists were chained to the wall, restricting all movement, "What happened," Kagome asked herself as she tried to recount the events that took place earlier. Kagome stayed there, kneeling on the cold ground with her arms still restrained, oblivious to the angry violet eyes peering at her from the darkness. Kagome jumped when the owner of the violet eyes spoke suddenly, "I see that you're awake, how pleasant," she spoke in a cold and uncaring tone.

Kagome looked up into her eyes and instantly remembered what had happened, "What did you do to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha," Kagome questioned as she looked into Michiru's eyes with defiance. Michiru scoffed when she heard Kagome talk to her, "How dare you talk to me like that you worthless human girl," she spoke with venom in her voice while grabbing a hand full of Kagome's raven locks. Kagome winced as the sudden pain from her scalp pulsed throughout her body, Michiru enjoyed seeing the woman's face twist in pain as she yanked on her long and thick hair.

Michiru forcefully let go and Kagome dropped to her knees once again with her head bowed while her dark hair spilled over her face. "You're just a weak and pathetic human being and don't you forget that, I have no problem teaching you your place," Michiru spoke cruelly. Kagome slowly raised her head to look into Michiru's eyes once again, Michiru was surprised to see more determination in her dark brown eyes than before. "W-What, why does she look more determined," Michiru questioned as she peered into her dark brown orbs to see her determination burning deep in her eyes.

"How is it that someone as plain as you was able to capture the hearts of two Inu demons," Michiru asked as she looked at Kagome who was still kneeling on the floor. Confusion once again crossed Kagome's face as she continued to look at Michiru, "What are you talking about," Kagome questioned. Before she could even think Kagome felt a stinging sensation on her left cheek. Kagome stared at the ground while her mind raced, trying to figure out what had happened in the split seconds that had passed. Kagome looked back up at Michiru after she realized what had happened. "Don't act so damn oblivious, how stupid do you think I am? I see the way Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha look at you," Michiru said furiously.

Kagome blushed slightly when she heard Michiru but was soon unable to contain her frustration, "What does it matter to you? You walked out of their lives," Kagome said ferociously. Michiru was taken aback by the sudden mention of their past. "Don't talk about me like you know or understand, you don't know anything," Michiru said with venom in her voice. "None of this concerns you anyways," Kagome said incapable of controlling her raging feelings, "You walked away from them by learning dark magic, by doing so you gave up on them." Michiru got in Kagome's face, "You don't know anything about me."

Inuyasha began to stir from getting knocked out by the impact of dark magic he absorbed, "Ugh, my head," he mumbled as he held his head. He stumbled to his feet and looked down the hall just to see Sesshomaru sniffing the air. He suddenly remembered what had happened before getting hit with the blast of dark energy. Inuyasha frantically started looking around the hallway for Kagome but found her nowhere. He hobbled down the hallway and looked directly at Sesshomaru, Sesshomaru stopped sniffing the air and addressed Inuyasha, "What do you want," he asked in an unfeeling tone, his golden eyes were cold.

"Where's Kagome," Inuyasha asked, fearing what Sesshomaru would tell him. Sesshomaru just stayed silent, Inuyasha looked up to see Sesshomaru avoiding the question and eye contact. "Where is Kagome," Inuyasha asked once more, waiting for his brother's answer. Again Sesshomaru didn't answer, Inuyasha became impatient and grabbed Sesshomaru by the collar of his kimono, "Where is Kagome," Inuyasha asked once more. Sesshomaru averted his eyes before answering, "Michiru took her," he said in an almost inaudible volume. "What do you mean Michiru took her, how could let this happen," Inuyasha yelled as he let go of Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru proceeded to straighten his collar once more, "Did you let her take Kagome," Inuyasha questioned. This accusation angered Sesshomaru to no end, "Of course not," Sesshomaru said as he raised his voice in frustration. Both were surprised by his sudden outrage, the hall was quiet before Sesshomaru spoke, "I was looking for their scent when you awoke." A cloud started to form at Sesshomaru's feet, "Hey, wait," Inuyasha called out, Sesshomaru stopped to see what the interruptive half breed needed. "I'm coming with you," Inuyasha said, Sesshomaru raised his eye brow at his half-brother. "I can't bring someone who can't even remember to put their sword at their waist," Sesshomaru said as he eyed the empty sheath at his side.

Inuyasha followed his gaze and saw that it landed on his empty scabbard, "I'll get Tetsusaiga but if you leave without me I'll chase you down you bastard," Inuyasha said while smirking at his brother. Sesshomaru just stayed silent but was entertained with his half-brother's actions. Inuyasha quickly ran down the hall and grabbed Tetsusaiga, he turned on his heel and ran back to the hall while tucking the sword into its scabbard. When he returned he was surprised to see that Sesshomaru was still standing there, waiting for him. "Something about him has changed," Inuyasha thought to himself, "I thought for sure that he would leave." Inuyasha stood beside Sesshomaru, Sesshomaru just looked at him then the sheath. After confirming that Tetsusaiga was on his waist Sesshomaru allowed the cloud to form at his feet once more.

Sesshomaru took to the air and Inuyasha began to run after him on the ground, Sesshomaru lifted his head up again and sniffed the air. The slight scent of lavender and pure water assured him that they were headed in the right direction. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha continued to travel north, following the scent of Kagome. Not too long after they began to see a castle in the distance, the scent of Kagome became stronger and fresh. Sesshomaru touched down in the front of the castle while Inuyasha ran through the front gates.

Both looked around the estate and the first thing they noticed was the lack of guards, "Where is everyone," Inuyasha questioned out loud. Sesshomaru stayed silent as he continued to look around the manor, he quickly found where Kagome's scent was coming from. He suddenly took off running in that direction without saying anything to Inuyasha, Inuyasha noticed and chased after him, "Say something when you start to run off," Inuyasha called out from behind Sesshomaru as they ran through the castle. Inuyasha's words melted into the background as Kagome's scent became more powerful. Sesshomaru stopped in front of a door, he slid the door open as Inuyasha appeared behind him, Inuyasha gasped when they saw what was behind the door. There lay Kagome on the ground.

Michiru recklessly unshackled Kagome's wrists and mercilessly dragged her across the floor and into the center of the room by her raven hair. Kagome let out muffled noises of pain as she struggled to hide the pain she was feeling, "I'm going to teach you a lesson you disrespectful bitch," Michiru spoke with anger and hate in her voice. Michiru tossed Kagome's body across the floor like a rag doll, Kagome's body tumbled and rolled across the floor until she landed with her face and chest on the floor.

Kagome struggled to get to her feet as Michiru looked on with a cruel smirk on her lips. Kagome managed to get to her hands and knees before getting kicked to the ground once more. She inhaled sharply as she felt Michiru's foot come in contact with her stomach, Kagome fell to her side and onto the ground as she clenched her stomach that was now in pain. "Now who's talking so big," Michiru asked in a taunting tone as she looked at Kagome on the ground in agony. "Ugh," Kagome mumbled as she clenched her stomach tighter, at the slight noise of pain Michiru's smirk widened into an evil smile.

Kagome looked up at Michiru and saw the happiness that her suffering brought to Michiru. Kagome closed her eyes and made up her decision, she swallowed her pain and slowly continued to stand. This action shocked Michiru as she silently watched the human woman stumble to her feet once more, "You just don't know when to stop," Michiru spoke as she continued to look down upon Kagome. "Why is she so determined? Most people would have already given up after all the suffering I put her through," Michiru thought as she pondered her hidden strength and determination.

"You can do whatever you want to me but I will never let you hurt the ones dear to me," Kagome said as she looked deep into Michiru's violet eyes. Michiru was taken aback by Kagome's threatening tone, "Humph," Michiru said as she looked Kagome up and down, "Like you're in the position to be threatening me," Michiru spoke in a haughty voice. The thought of Michiru hurting her friends infuriated her to no end, "I may not be in the position to make that statement but you're in no position to challenge me," Kagome said, staring unwaveringly into Michiru's violet orbs.

Michiru was silent before saying, "Humph, whatever. You can rot in here for all I care," she said to Kagome as she walked past her and towards the door. Kagome turned and silently watched her leave, once Michiru exited the room Kagome let out a large sigh, standing up against Michiru took more energy than she had. Kagome suddenly felt the room start to spin, "Damn, I was hoping to have consciousness for a little longer," Kagome thought as she swooned and collapsed to the ground, falling into darkness.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha stood in the doorway, both silent in shock as they looked at the collapsed Kagome. Inuyasha was the first to snap out of it, he quickly rushed to her side as Sesshomaru continued to stand in the door. "Michiru did this," Sesshomaru thought as he watched Inuyasha hold Kagome in his arms,_ I'll kill that bitch for laying a hand on Kagome,_ his demon growled as his eyes flashed red. Sesshomaru let go of his blind hatred when he saw Kagome move slightly.

He rushed to her side as well and gently clasped her hand, he felt her start to wrap her hand around his and intertwine their fingers. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha watched in amazement as Kagome's body started to glow a pure white light, they watched as an innocent smile crossed her lips. Soon the light became too bright for them to see, both Inu demons moved to cover their eyes as the light that Kagome's body radiated became brighter and stronger.

They could both feel the warmth that returned to her body and the color that was restored to her skin and cheeks. Not long after, the light began to die down and the room went back to being dark and cold. Sesshomaru removed his hand from shielding his eyes and gazed at Kagome only to see her eyes begin to open, we watched as warmth was brought back to her dark brown eyes. Sesshomaru wanted so much to embrace her but Inuyasha was there and eh refused to show that side of himself to anyone but her. Inuyasha opened his eyes once again and saw that Kagome was awake, without thinking he embraced Kagome. Sesshomaru looked on silently as Inuyasha embraced that woman he had fallen for unexpectedly over time.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**A/N: Here is the next chapter, I would have uploaded sooner but my internet connection was having problems this weekend, apparently TWC was switching to all HD or something this weekend so they were jacking with the internet as well or maybe my equipment is just out dated, after how many years should you buy a new internet router...? Anyway I'm just going to warn you I might not be able to update as regularly as I would like to for the next few weeks due to it being the end of school and finals are going to kick my ass, so just bear with me until summer starts and even then I have stuff going on but I'll keep you guys updated. Now, without further ado, the next chapter! (Also reviews would be nice, you know how you can sort the stories by how many reviews a story has? Well I would be at the bottom of that list, just in case you were wondering... So if you want to raise me up on the list, tell me what I should do better on/what I do good on, give me some ideas or just say 'Hi', please leave a review and I will love you forever ^-^)**

The warm light enveloped Kagome's body as Sesshomaru and Inuyasha watched Kagome's cuts and bruises slowly fade from her skin. "This must be one of Kagome's powers," Sesshomaru thought as the wounds healed themselves only to leave Kagome's skin as pure as it had been before. Kagome's eyes fluttered open and immediately saw the silver hair that created a curtain around her and the golden eyes that looked back at her. "Sesshomaru…" Kagome mumbled, her head still cloudy from the previous encounter with Michiru.

After the bright light subsided Inuyasha looked back at Kagome that lay in his lap and was thrilled to see her being brought back to consciousness. His silver hair fell over his shoulders and draped over Kagome. Her eyes opened sluggishly, Inuyasha smiled broadly at seeing Kagome awaken. Right as she awoke something escaped her lips, "Sesshomaru." Inuyasha's smile faltered as he was mistaken for his older brother, "N-No, it's Inuyasha," he said gently, understanding her confusion in such a fragile state. At the mention of Inuyasha's name Kagome's eye tried their best to focus on the face in front of her. Her eyes managed to focus enough for her to realize her mistake, "I'm sorry Inuyasha," she apologized, "You were blurry so I thought you were Sesshomaru," Kagome explained as she chuckled a little but winced when she felt a slight pain in her side.

Inuyasha saw her struggle, "Don't worry about that, don't push yourself too much," Inuyasha said in a concerned tone. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha once again and her soft smile returned to her face. Sesshomaru stepped up from behind Inuyasha and into Kagome's line of sight, she looked up at the handsome Inu demon in serenity as he spoke, "Inuyasha," he said, gaining Inuyasha's attention. "What," he asked in a slightly annoyed tone towards his brother for ruining the moment as he turned to face Sesshomaru. That feeling disappeared when he saw Sesshomaru's serious gaze, Inuyasha followed his eyes to see a demoness emerging from the darkness.

The slow clapping of Michiru could be heard before she could be seen, she emerged from the shadows in the darkened room. "How touching, the reunion of companions," she said in a mocking tone, drawing out the last word for more emphasis. An evil smirk rested upon her red lips as a wicked spark shown in her violet eyes. Inuyasha's face turned into a scowl as his eyes fell upon Michiru, "Aw, how cute, the puppy is bearing its teeth at me," Michiru continued to poke fun of Inuyasha. "You'll pay for what you did to Kagome," Inuyasha growled as he gently picked Kagome up in his arms bridal style.

Inuyasha turned towards Sesshomaru with Kagome in his arms, "I'm leaving Kagome in your care," Inuyasha said as he looked Sesshomaru in the eyes, both felt each other's seriousness. Sesshomaru nodded and took Kagome into his own arms as Inuyasha mentally prepared for a battle. Kagome blushed as she was in Sesshomaru's arms, avoiding eye contact with the attractive demon. Her attention was soon attracted to Inuyasha and Michiru as their auras became fierce. Inuyasha stood facing Michiru with his hand resting on the hilt of the legendary fang, Tetsusaiga.

His jaw tightened and he unsheathed the fang before charging at the demoness, Michiru just stood there unfazed. Inuyasha slashed at her right down the middle but found that he only cut one of her shadows in half. Michiru laughed from behind him and Inuyasha turned on his heel and cut at her once again only to slash at her shadow once more. Michiru stood to his left now, Inuyasha sensed her presence and turned towards her, "Coward, show your true self," Inuyasha spoke. Michiru smiled once more, "Which one of us is the real one," she questioned as she caused her shadows to appear and surround Inuyasha. Inuyasha turned his head frantically, trying to figure out which was the real one.

When Inuyasha stood with is back towards her, Michiru created a spear with her dark magic and stabbed Inuyasha in his lower right side. He crumpled to his knees and lodged Tetsusaiga into the floor as he held his wound, Michiru effortlessly glided across the floor to stand in front of him. "Not such a tough puppy," she said as she looked at Inuyasha on his knees with cruelty in her eyes. "I shouldn't have expected very much from a half breed," Michiru spoke down to Inuyasha as her voice lingered on the words 'half breed'. Inuyasha glanced up at Michiru and clenched his jaw, "Dammit," he mumbled.

Michiru outstretched her right arm and rings of dark magic formed below Inuyasha's feet, she hesitated and spoke, "Good bye, puppy." She flicked her wrist and large spikes made of the darkness emerged and engulfed Inuyasha. Kagome looked on with wide eyes as she watched one of her best friends disappear into the darkness, her eyes brimming with tears as the thoughts of death entered her mind. "Inuyasha," she said as she buried her face into Sesshomaru's chest and allowed her tears to flow recklessly.

Michiru smiled deviously when she saw the pathetic human's reaction, the protruding spikes recoiled back into the dark rings. Inuyasha emerged from the shadows with wounds all over his body, he dropped to the ground, motionless. Kagome moved her head to look at Inuyasha, "Don't," Sesshomaru whispered and Kagome obeyed, keeping her head on Sesshomaru's chest. Inuyasha struggled to raise up from the ground, he grasped Tetsusaiga's hilt and stumbled to his feet. A trail of blood trickled from the left side of his mouth as he looked up at Michiru with hate in his golden eyes.

"He shouldn't be alive much less be able to stand," Michiru thought as she witnessed the determination to live in his eyes. "He has quite a bit of determination to survive my attack," Michiru thought as her eyebrows scrunched together, "No matter, this next attack should take care of this pest." Michiru began to move her hand to bring forth another attack upon Inuyasha but was stopped instantly when she felt cold metal on her neck.

She moved her head ever so slightly and saw that Sesshomaru was holding a sword to her neck. Michiru peeked behind him and saw the weak human girl behind Sesshomaru, continuing to lean against him for support. "Keh," she mumbled as she made no sudden movements knowing that if she did so, her head would be gone before she could blink. Inuyasha looked up to see Sesshomaru holding Bakusaiga to Michiru's neck, "Why is he helping," Inuyasha questioned to himself.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru spoke towards his half-brother while glancing at Inuyasha for a split second before returning his eyes to Michiru, "I want you to take Kagome to safety," he spoke his request. Inuyasha was surprised about what his brother said and protested, "I'm still able to fight," Inuyasha said, refusing to be a pushover. Sesshomaru glanced at Inuyasha once more but his this time his golden eyes shown his inability to be defied. Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru in concern, "Will you be alright," she asked, Sesshomaru just nodded before he spoke, "Go with Inuyasha," he said. Kagome hesitated about leaving him there but finally agreed and moved to stand beside Inuyasha.

Kagome gently touched Inuyasha's arm to help him stand and instantly Inuyasha felt his wounds begin to heal by themselves. Inuyasha looked at Kagome to find her looking back at him, "Are you ready," she asked him. "Yeah," he said while shaking off her hands from his arm. He yanked Tetsusaiga out of the wooden floor and placed it in the sheath before suddenly grasping Kagome's hand and leading her out of the room.

Michiru's eyebrows knitted together as she watched the half breed and human leave. She began to move after them but was soon stopped by Sesshomaru's sword that stood in front of her body, preventing her from following Inuyasha and Kagome. "I'm your opponent," Sesshomaru said in a challenging tone. Michiru was surprised by the turn of events but continued to go along with the actions.

Inuyasha had his hand clasped around Kagome's as they ran through the empty hallways throughout the estate. "I have to protect Kagome," Inuyasha thought as he led Kagome through the castle. Kagome was obeying Sesshomaru's orders but something in her felt like she couldn't go through with leaving Sesshomaru behind. "I know he can handle himself against her but I don't like the thought of leaving Sesshomaru by himself," Kagome thought as she continued to follow Inuyasha hesitantly.

As they were running down the hall Kagome suddenly stopped, yanking Inuyasha back in the process, "Kagome, what are you doing," Inuyasha questioned. "We need to get out of here," he persisted, "I can't do this," Kagome spoke, "I can't leave Sesshomaru behind," she said as she turned and ran back down the hall towards Sesshomaru. Inuyasha quickly followed her down, hoping for the best.

Michiru created a sword from thin air, she grasped the hilt. Sesshomaru looked the weapon up and down, he was able to see the darkness pouring off the blade. Michiru charged at Sesshomaru, he easily blocked her strike and their swords clashed. Sesshomaru pushed her back with his sword and Michiru jumped away from the Inu demon. "He's much stronger than when I left him," Michiru noted in her head, "Not that I expected anything less from Sesshomaru, the killing perfection," she thought as she admired his fighting techniques.

"She's perfected her magic," Sesshomaru mentally noted as he watched her jump away from him, "She's had enough time to do so," he reasoned. Just as he was about to attack her and attempt to finish the fight as swiftly as possible, the door to the room slide open with a loud slam. The light from outside filtered into the dark room and blinded Sesshomaru and Michiru for a few seconds. Sesshomaru looked at the doorway and saw the silhouette of a woman, as his eyes adjusted we recognized it to be Kagome.

Michiru figured out who it was at the same time and found her opening, instead of focusing her attack towards Sesshomaru she focused it at the human woman in the door. Inuyasha reached the door behind Kagome and peered into the room, his eyes fell on Sesshomaru and saw the annoyance on his face. Michiru sent a spear of dark magic and poison hurtling towards Kagome.

Kagome was surprised by the sudden attack and unable to move. Both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha moved to shield Kagome from the weapon. Inuyasha tried to pull Kagome out of the way and block the spear from her. Sesshomaru lunged towards Kagome, hoping to get to her in time to shield her from the danger. All Kagome could remember seeing was silver hair falling in front of her.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**A/N: Here's the next chapter, this chapter was kind of hard to write so I hope you guys like it! I actually rewrote the chapter a few times because I didn't like how it "flowed" so that's why I didn't post last weekend. Also I was studying for my first AP test, I just took it this morning and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I can smile more freely lol, see :) anyways, I need to address some of my reviewers and if you're one of those people who skip these kinds of things (Don't worry, I usually skip these kinds of things too so we're in the same boat :P) I hope you enjoy the story and review!**

**takarajo: I really need to thank you for being my most devoted reader (That I know of anyways) and reviewer, I'm always happy when I see you review :) **

** 4414: I completely understand, I like Inuyasha too and I don't want to see him unhappy either but I'm going to be honest (I know this could start a controversy in the anime/fanfiction world but this is just my personal opinion so don't take it too seriously) I don't really like Kikyo but trust me, everything will work out :)**

**I realize that in some ways I've become kind of obsessive over the amount of reviews I have, I find myself constantly checking to see if there are any new reviews, don't think me creepy... think of me as hopeful ^-^ If you want to make my day, give me advice/give pointers, say "hi", help me climb the story board thingy, give me some ideas, more hope or anything else please leave a review, I really appreciate you guys so much for following me this far and listening to my crazy story so allow me to know who I appreciate :) now to the story.**

Kagome watched with wide eyes as she witnessed the silver hair falling before her. Kagome dropped to her knees and caught his body in her lap, the spear created from darkness hade long disappeared from his left shoulder, leaving a large gash behind. Kagome looked down at the person laying across her lap and saw that the lids of his eyes had closed, hiding his golden eyes from her view. Kagome leaned over his body, praying to all the gods to allow him to stay with her.

"Sesshomaru…" Kagome sobbed into his chest as Inuyasha stood behind her, dumbfounded. "I was closer to her," Inuyasha thought as he watched Kagome in a daze, "I should have reached her first," Inuyasha continued to think as he pondered how Sesshomaru was able to defy logic. Inuyasha's eyes moved from Kagome's back to Sesshomaru's face, "He must have had a lot of determination to save Kagome to get to her before I could," Inuyasha thought as he watched the two, still in a daze.

Michiru watched a Sesshomaru ran in front of her attack, her eyes widened as she saw the spear go through his shoulder. Michiru quickly made the spear disappear, she hadn't meant to injure Lord Sesshomaru but she was caught off guard when he shielded the worthless human from the weapon, it was so unlike him. "This isn't the same Sesshomaru that I left…" Michiru thought as she watched the woman catch Sesshomaru and laid him across her legs.

Kagome's tears continued to fall from her eyes and a few drops landed on Sesshomaru's cheeks. The healing abilities within Kagome, which were hidden to her, reflected in her tears as the drops of water began to glow. Soon Kagome's and Sesshomaru's bodies were surrounded by the warm and pure light that had engulfed Kagome before. Kagome's hair started to flow around her as she transferred her energy to Sesshomaru as the healing process was sped up. Sesshomaru's wound glowed the pure color before it began to heal. The bleeding stopped and soon the gash was completely gone, there was no trace of a wound except the hole in his kimono that had blood rimming the edges of the rip in the fabric, there wasn't even a scar left. The glow faded from the room as all eyes turned towards Kagome and Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru was plunged into darkness. He jolted awake just to find himself in complete darkness, alone. He blinked his eyes a couple of times to make sure they were open as he was unable to see anything as though his eyes were closed. Sesshomaru walked a few steps into the shadows but decided to stay where he was due to the fact that he was unsure of what could be lurking within. He reflexively reached for Bakusaiga but found that his sword wasn't by his side, the only sword in its sheath was Tenseiga. "Damn…" Sesshomaru mumbled into the darkness.

Suddenly there was a bright light that shown above him, banishing the shadows. An orb of light descended from overhead and hovered in front of Sesshomaru, Sesshomaru just looked at the sphere of pure light skeptically. "Sesshomaru," the sphere spoke. Sesshomaru's eyes widened as he recognized the voice, "Kagome," he whispered, surprised and now confused. "Come back to me," Kagome said in a calming tone as the orb approached Sesshomaru and was absorbed into his body. Immediately Sesshomaru was embraced by warmth and purity as the light of the orb radiated from his body, his golden eyes drifted shut as a serene look crossed his face.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes once more after the light disappeared and found himself back in reality. He took in his surrounding and found Kagome weeping into his chest, without thinking Sesshomaru stroked her raven hair to comfort her. Kagome jerked her head from his chest and looked at him through tears that gathered in her eyes but had yet to fallen. Her dark brown eyes met his golden eyes once again.

A wave of relief washed over Kagome's body as she looked upon Sesshomaru and a wide smile crossed her lips as the tears in her eyes fell, not of sadness or loss but of relief and happiness. Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into an embrace as he sat up, "I thought I lost you," Kagome whispered into his ear and tears of joy continued to fall. Sesshomaru was taken aback from the sudden embrace but didn't refuse, his eyes widened in shock as he heard what Kagome said.

Kagome pulled away and looked at Sesshomaru, her cheeks flushed slightly. "Hmph, you thought I would be defeated that easily," Sesshomaru said. At his response Kagome couldn't help but laugh a little, "He's still Sesshomaru," she thought as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Sesshomaru moved to stand, he reached for Bakusaiga but just like in the darkness, Bakusaiga wasn't in its sheath. Sesshomaru looked around the room and saw the sword wedged into the floor, Sesshomaru silently walked towards the sword. Sesshomaru wrenched the sword out of the floor and placed it back in its respective sheath.

Michiru watched the exchange between the two and cringed, "How disgusting," she thought, "Just the thought of humans disgusts me but the idea of a human with a demon is unthinkable." She looked on as the filthy human embraced Sesshomaru, "Humph, like Lord Sesshomaru would put up with such nonsense," Michiru thought. She was shocked to see that Sesshomaru wasn't pushing the disgusting human off of him. Michiru just stood there fuming as she watched their interactions.

Michiru suddenly lost it, "What is so special about her," she yelled as Sesshomaru just finished returning his sword to its sheath while pointing a finger accusingly at Kagome. Everyone looked at Michiru and were silent from the sudden outburst of seemingly random anger. Sesshomaru closed his eyes as he tried to keep his patience, "What are you talking about," he questioned as he managed to find a bit of his patience. "Don't play stupid, Sesshomaru, I know you care for that filthy human," Michiru continued to yell at the demon Lord.

"Don't be silly, I would never develop feelings except hate for her kind," Sesshomaru spoke coldly without hesitation. "I'm insulted that you would even think that," he said as he opened his eyes once again, "I may be my father's son but don't confuse me with him," he finished as he glared at Michiru. Michiru was taken aback by his answer and his sudden cold glare sent shivers down her spine. Sesshomaru glanced at Kagome, hoping she understood that he was putting on an air but soon realized what he had said and how it hurt Kagome.

Sesshomaru saw Kagome with newly formed tears gathering in her eyes as the cruel words stabbed at her and ripped at her body. When he saw her reaction he immediately wanted to take back his words but with Michiru there he found himself unable to do so. Inuyasha just stood behind Kagome, wanting to console her but that skill was unknown to him. Kagome sat on the floor as Sesshomaru's cold words continued to run through her mind, "I must have seemed so stupid to him," Kagome thought as she bowed her head, using her bangs to cover her eyes.

"I must have been just a toy to the great Lord Sesshomaru," Kagome continued to think, "Well, it was fun playing but I'm done." Kagome knelt there silently, still using her bangs to block her face from Sesshomaru's view as he looked at her longingly. Sesshomaru was able to see the conflicting emotions in Kagome's aura, _look at what you did, you couldn't give up your pride and ego for her, _his demon thought as he mentally abused himself. The sudden noise of a thunderous man's voice made Kagome forget about her clashing feelings, his voice resonated throughout the small room, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

"Michiru," it spoke in its deep voice, Michiru seemed to be able to figure out whose voice it was almost instantly. "This is what you were up to," the voice trailed off and Michiru became nervous, "Ah, master. You found me…" Michiru spoke anxiously. "I see you're causing trouble," he spoke as if chiding a child for doing something disagreeable. "Did you have a nice reunion with Lord Sesshomaru," he asked with a twinge of sarcasm in his tone.

Michiru was left fumbling for words, she opened her mouth as she tried to form words but was incapable of doing so. "Uh, I- Um," she stuttered as she looked to the ceiling as though her "master" was speaking from within the ceiling. Kagome's eyes widened, "T-That voice," Kagome mumbled, she looked to Sesshomaru and saw that he figured it out as well. "That deep voice, I would know it anywhere," Kagome thought as she just looked at Michiru with shock and surprise.

Michiru smirked once more at Kagome's reaction, "You guessed correct." Michiru loved the look that crossed Kagome's face, "She looks so stupid with that expression on her face," she thought. "Feh, did you think I was working by myself," Michiru questioned, "I assumed," Kagome mumbled while looking to the side slightly. Kagome's response made Michiru laugh, the sound of Michiru's loud cackling filled the room and Inuyasha winced as his sensitive ears were assaulted.

"Humans really are stupid creatures," Michiru said as she caught her breath. Kagome's face scrunched in anger at the insult, "Like you're one to talk," Kagome responded. This pissed Michiru off to no end, she was ready to lash out at Kagome. She lunged at Kagome but suddenly stopped as though there were invisible wires that were stopping her. "Damn," Michiru muttered as she stepped back, as she did so the "wires" released their restraining hold on her.

"Michiru," the voice boomed, "Now is not the time for actions such as that," he spoke harshly. "Yes, master," Michiru spoke with distaste in her voice as stood there, still. "Return, Michiru," he ordered, Michiru seemed to be surprised from this request but bowed her head and replied, "Yes, master." She looked up and gave Kagome a dirty look before being surrounded by a large black cloud of smoke and disappearing in front of them.

Kagome, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru stood there silently as they just stared at where Michiru used to be standing. Kagome's head raced as it tried to grasp what was going on, "H-How is this happening," Kagome asked herself. Kagome shook her head, trying to knock her thoughts into place. "T-That was," Kagome spoke softly but trailed off, scared of what she would say and if it was true or not.

Sesshomaru nodded his head slightly and tore his eyes away from the place that Michiru used to be, "You're correct," Sesshomaru spoke and was silent. "T-That voice," Kagome hesitated, "T-That was," she stopped. They all nodded slightly to each other, confirming their thoughts but were unable to say it out loud. A small part of Kagome hoped that there was still a way that they were all wrong about whose voice it was that they all heard. Kagome refused to say who's as though saying it out loud would make it true and they would be unable to take it back. They stood there in silence for a little before Inuyasha gulped and broke the silence, "That was Naraku's voice…"

**Review, review, review! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it! See you next weekend :P**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**A/N: Okay, I really need to apologize to you guys for not just missing one week but two weeks of updates, it's just that it was the last few weeks of school so I had to cram for finals and finish up projects for school but now it's summer so I'll be able to update for you guys more consistently! Anyways, here is the next chapter, I really hope you guys like it! Here's the same announcement that I have every update but here it is: Please review, I love hearing what the readers think, this should be interactive, right? So if you want to make me smile, make my day, surprise me, say "hi", tell me what you think, tell me what I should improve upon, encourage my obsession with checking how many reviews I have or anything else, feel free to leave a review. I really appreciate all of you so much! You guys should at least allow me to know who I appreciate and how else will I know except by your reviews! ;) Anyways, enjoy and review!  
**

Kagome continued to stare at where Michiru used to be, unable to believe what she had just uttered a few seconds ago. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were both shocked but Sesshomaru recovered from his surprise faster than everyone else, "We're heading back to the estate," Sesshomaru announced as he turned to leave the room, Kagome blankly followed Sesshomaru towards the door. Inuyasha shook his head to get rid of the shock before he began down the hall with them. They traveled down the hall in silence and entered the courtyard.

Sesshomaru stood there as clouds stared to form at his feet and he began to hover above the ground as if he was a godly figure. He looked down at Kagome and she looked up at him with a hint of admiration in her eyes. Sesshomaru extended his hand out to her and Kagome stood there staring at it blankly, Kagome glance at Inuyasha as he was waiting for her choice well. As she was about to reach out to accept his offer a little voice inside her head stopped her, _"Don't be silly, I would never develop feelings except hate for her kind. I'm insulted that you would even think that."_

The words echoed within her head as her feelings of anger and hurt returned, "Hmph," Kagome said as she turned away from Sesshomaru's outstretched hand and towards Inuyasha. Sesshomaru watched as Kagome walked away from him and as Inuyasha effortlessly picked Kagome up bridal style. Sesshomaru retracted his hand and looked forward coldly, the cloud began to rise higher into the sky and Sesshomaru began to soar through the sky. Inuyasha tightened his grip on Kagome as he took off running through the forest.

"Why would she choose Inuyasha over me," Sesshomaru questioned as he continued to move through the air. _It's because you practically rejected her and insulted her kind you dumbass,_ his demon growled back at him as he remembered the horrible words he said. Sesshomaru rubbed his forehead in frustration, "My damn ego," Sesshomaru thought as he became angry at himself for his inability to tell Kagome how he actually felt about her. "All I do is hurt her feelings," Sesshomaru thought as he suddenly became saddened as he remembered all of the times he made Kagome unhappy and doubt him.

Her raven locks blew roughly in the wind and the beautiful and peaceful scenery was blurred as they sped past. Kagome was unable to absorb and appreciate the nature around her as thoughts of Sesshomaru flooded her mind. "It seems as though every time I think of Sesshomaru I get hurt," Kagome thought solemnly. Kagome was knocked out of her thoughts when Sesshomaru's figure came into vision, she looked upon his beautiful physique and glistening hair. As she looked at him her feelings began to settle naturally and a calm look crossed Kagome's face as she watched Sesshomaru descend from the air atop his cloud.

Sesshomaru gently stepped foot on his property when suddenly large gust of wind blew and picked his silky silver hair into the air. Sesshomaru side glanced towards Kagome and saw her staring at him. Kagome watched as his silver hair blew in the wind and her eyes sparkled with admiration and love, "He really is beautiful," Kagome thought calmly as she continued to gaze upon the handsome demon Lord of the West.

Sesshomaru was temporarily taken aback from Kagome looking at him with such a serene and loving look. The great Lord flushed slightly and jerked his head forward to hide the color in his cheeks, "Why is she affecting me like this now," he asked himself. Sesshomaru looked up just in time to see two shadows come from the mansion and dart past him, "Damn," he thought as he turned around to stop them.

He turned and he let out a breath of relief, there was Miroku and Sango hugging Kagome. Sango had Shippo on her shoulder but he had quickly scurried over to Kagome and perched himself on her shoulder and begun to hug Kagome's cheek. "Ha ha, I missed you too, Shippo," she said as the cheerful fox demon cuddled her face. Sango gave Kagome a huge hug and Miroku joined in, "We were so worried," Sango said and she pulled away and checked Kagome for injuries like a mother would have.

"Sesshomaru and Inuyasha left so suddenly without saying anything but the staff filled us in to the best of their knowledge," Miroku explained while he stood back a little, allowing Kagome some room to breathe. Sango slipped her arm into Kagome's, "You have to tell me everything that happened," Sango said while walking Kagome towards the mansion. Miroku laughed slightly and walked over to Inuyasha, he patted Inuyasha on the back and they walked towards the building laughing together. Sesshomaru was left standing there by himself and his thoughts, he slowly made his way inside and to his study.

Sango slid the door open to Kagome's room and plopped down on her bed, she laughed and padded the spot beside her, motioning for Kagome to sit beside her. Kagome moved from the door frame and sat beside her, Sango turned to face her, "Spill," Sango spoke. Kagome blushed slightly, "I'm guessing this is about more than what just happened," Kagome spoke and Sango nodded furiously, "What's going on with you and Sesshomaru, you guys have been acting different," Sango spoke, intrigued. Kagome blushed even deeper, "Have we really been that obvious," she asked embarrassed. "Well it was pretty obvious to me, I'm not sure how the others saw it, guys are pretty dense," Sango said and they both laughed.

"Well…" Kagome started but hesitated, the look on Sango's face urged her on, "I think I really like Sesshomaru," Kagome admitted bashfully as Sango squealed in excitement. Sango clasped her hands over Kagome's, "I'm really happy for you, I hope everything works out," she said sincerely and they both smiled at each other. "I'm glad for you, truly, but I have to ask. What about Inuyasha," Sango asked, Kagome was silent. "When did I start ignoring the feelings I had for Inuyasha," she asked herself. "I'm not really sure, I guess my heart was getting tired of having unrequited love," Kagome spoke softly.

Sango gently squeezed Kagome's hands, gaining Kagome's attention, "Well I'm really excited for you," Sango said and smiled comfortingly at Kagome and Kagome returned the smile. "Now you have to explain everything, from start to finish," Sango said, wanting to know everything. Kagome smiled and began to explain the story of how she had begun to fall in love with Sesshomaru.

"That's all that's happened up until now," Kagome said and Sango gushed, "That's so cute," she said excitedly. Kagome blushed once more but what Sesshomaru said recently popped into her head and her smile faded. Sango immediately noticed this, "What's wrong, did something happen," Sango asked concerned. "It's just something that Sesshomaru said when Michiru confronted us," Kagome began to explain. "Michiru accused Sesshomaru of having feelings for me and without hesitation he practically rejected me," Kagome said dismayed as Sango sat there trying to make sense of it all. "He's still the Sesshomaru that we knew before, he still holds his pride above everything else," Sango said, trying to console her disheartened friend. Kagome thought over her words, "Do you think that's what it is," Kagome asked with hope in her voice.

Sango smiled at her, "I'm almost positive. From what you've told me, it sounds as though he has feelings for you too." Kagome's blush returned to her cheeks but there was still a little doubt in her mind, "But he sounded so serious, you should have heard him. Even for Sesshomaru he was pretty harsh," Kagome trailed off, "He went as far as to say, _"Don't be silly, I would never develop feelings except hate for her kind. I'm insulted that you would even think that,"_ Kagome said sadly. "He continued to say, _"I may be my father's son but don't confuse me with him,"_ Kagome continued to explain her sadness.

Sango was silent, "Dammit, Sesshomaru," Sango cursed under her breath. "I'll admit, that's pretty cruel, even for Sesshomaru but you have to remember, this is his personality," Sango explained. "She makes a good point," Kagome thought as the spark of hope returned to her. "The way he was brought up forced him to become mature at a young age and take on responsibilities he shouldn't have at such a young age," Kagome thought out loud as Sango just nodded in agreement. "He had to take on so many hardships, both physically and emotionally because of his position of first born son and heir to the West. He probably insisted to do everything by himself and now it's made him lonely. The cold personality that he developed to protect himself makes him hard approach and misunderstood," Kagome continued, now in deep concentration.

"The thing that I'm confused about is that nobody is born with distrust in their heart, someone must have put it there," Kagome pondered. "You're right…" Sango trailed off as she tried to think of who could affect Sesshomaru so much. "It would have had to have been someone really close to him," Sango deduced. "It must have happened when he was young as well, giving him time to perfect his cold attitude," Kagome continued to ponder. "What if the person who hurt Sesshomaru was Michiru? As much as I hate to admit it she was part of his life when they were younger," Kagome thought to herself. "What if-" Sango started but was cut off when Kagome stood up suddenly and ran out of the room and down the hall. "Kagome!" Sango yelled after her and ran to the door but saw that Kagome was already at the end of the hall, turning the corner.

Sesshomaru slid the door open to his study and entered. He sat at the desk with intensions to get some work done but his mind couldn't focus, it always wandered to Kagome and then to the cruel words he said to her. Sesshomaru set down his writing utensil and sighed in defeat, "I'm not going to get anything done if I don't confront this," he thought. The scene played out in his mind and with words echoed in his head, "Dammit, why did I say those things to her," Sesshomaru questioned himself in agitation. _Because you're an egotistical jerk who can't give up his pride for the one person he cares about,_ his demon growled at him from within.

As much as Sesshomaru hated to admit it, his demon was right, about everything about him. "You're right," Sesshomaru acknowledged to his demon, his demon was surprised by his confession. _Huh, I think this is the first time that you've ever agreed with anything I've said,_ his demon said. "Heh," Sesshomaru slightly chuckled, "It appears so." After a few seconds of silence Sesshomaru asked his demon, "What should I do?" _First you agree with me then you ask for my advice, are you feeling okay Sesshomaru,_ his demon asked jokingly as Sesshomaru chuckled slightly once more. _You're going to have to apologize to her, you were out of line and we both know that, _his demon said as Sesshomaru hesitated.

_Don't let your damn pride get in the way again,_ his demon ordered and Sesshomaru realized it was his ego and pride that were holding him back once more. After that realization Sesshomaru decided to apologize to Kagome but before he could rise from his seat the door to the study was opened suddenly. Sesshomaru was caught off guard and jerked his head towards the door but was temporarily blinded by the sudden abundance of natural light that filtered into the room, all he saw was a figure standing in the doorway out of breath.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**A/N: Okay, I know I said last time that I would be able to update more regularly and then I go and miss another weekend of updates and I always seem to have an excuse but I want you guys to know that I really was working on it, it's just that this chapter was hard to write. I'm starting to run out of ideas and if I run out of ideas that means no more updates (less than I already do ^-^' or maybe not ever D:, I may not even finish the story!) So if you have any ideas, requests, questions or improvements leave a review! (Yes, that was kind of a threat :P, of course I'm going to continue doing my best on this story for as long as possible or until I'm able to conclude it but what happens, happens) I would like to thank everyone for their support and would request you guys to leave a review, you can tell me what I need to work on, give me ideas, correct some grammar or something, develop my obsession for reviews, say 'Hi', have a say in the story, help the story develop, or anything else! (That sad moment when the number of chapters is gaining on the number of reviews -_-') Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**

**P.S. I'm going on vacation this week so I'm not sure what my schedule is but I'll try my best to update on time but again, that depends on my schedule during vacation and the ideas that I come up with/the reviews with ideas ;) but continue to the story!**

Sesshomaru looked up at the person standing in the doorway through squinted eyes, the bright natural light filtered in from behind the figure, only allowing Sesshomaru to make out a silhouette. Sesshomaru rested his hand on Bakusaiga's hilt as he continued to look up at the person, unable to tell between friend or foe. The figure suddenly approached him and Sesshomaru began to draw his blade but before he could draw his sword he caught the scent of something familiar and stopped. The person wrapped their arms around him and pulled him into an embrace. Sesshomaru's body tensed up and he sniffed the air, the scent of lavender tickled his nose.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru whispered serenely as if just saying the name brought him peace as his body became less tense. Kagome continued to bury her head into his right shoulder as her breathing began to regulate. She pulled away from Sesshomaru and looked into his golden eyes, "I'm sorry," Kagome said. Sesshomaru was taken aback by her sudden and unnecessary apology, "I should have understood your situation and-" she continued but was cut off when Sesshomaru pulled her back into the embrace. "I should be the one apologizing," Sesshomaru spoke quietly to her, "I shouldn't have said those things."

Kagome was surprised by the demon Lord's apology but she smiled when she heard him, "Oh Sesshomaru," she said as she hugged him tighter. "What I said was uncalled for and I just said it out of habit. Had I known how much it would upset you, I never would have said it," Sesshomaru spoke regretfully into Kagome's shoulder. Kagome's smile widened as she heard his expression of regret, "It's okay, Sesshomaru, I forgive you," she said calmly to the demon Lord in her arms.

"I hope you don't mind me asking but what was it like growing up as future Lord of the West," Kagome questioned a few seconds after they released each other. Sesshomaru was a little shocked from her sudden question about his past and Kagome saw it on his face, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, of course," Kagome said frantically, trying to not sound too nosy. Sesshomaru chuckled slightly and Kagome just stared at him with wide eyes, "That's the first time I've ever seen him laugh," she thought as she looked at his genuinely happy face.

"It's fine," Sesshomaru spoke, "I'm not sure what I should say, it's just as you would think." "And what is it that I would think," Kagome asked. "My whole life I've been trained to become the Lord of the West. Everyone had high expectations of me and many responsibilities were pushed upon me," Sesshomaru said as he recalled his past. "It must have been hard," Kagome said as she looked at the floor. "Not only was I being trained to become the next Lord of the West, I was also being trained to become the strongest demon of my generation," Sesshomaru continued. "I see that it worked," Kagome spoke and smiled up at him, Sesshomaru chuckled again.

"Because of all my studies I didn't have much time to create strong bonds with many people unlike Inuyasha," Sesshomaru continued to remember. "I think it was because of that that I became self-dependent, when you can do something by yourself why would you get others to help?" Kagome just nodded along with what Sesshomaru said, he did have a point. "But that lifestyle is so lonely," Kagome spoke sadly. "I wasn't always alone," Sesshomaru said without thinking, as if he were in a daze. Kagome looked at him with seriousness and confusion, "W-What did you just say," she asked.

Sesshomaru shook himself out of it, "I must apologize for that, I don't know what came over me." Kagome just nodded hesitantly, "It seemed as though a memory had crept into his mind but he's unwilling to tell me about it," Kagome thought, "I won't push it, he's kind enough to tell me about his past." Kagome smiled up at him, "Would you take a walk with me," Kagome asked Sesshomaru. He was surprised by her sudden request but he accepted.

Sesshomaru stood from his seat and followed Kagome out of his study and down the long hall. They didn't say much, they just walked in comfortable silence. Sesshomaru just followed Kagome quietly down the hall, following all of the twists and turns of the castle. "What was the sudden interest in my past," Sesshomaru asked out of the blue. Kagome stopped walking but soon continued with Sesshomaru watching her every move. "Sango and I were wondering about it earlier," Kagome spoke without turning around to face Sesshomaru. Unknown to Sesshomaru, Kagome's face was flushed a deep red from the embarrassing statement she just said without thinking.

Kagome laughed nervously immediately, "Of course we weren't saying anything bad, we were just trying to understand you and your motives," Kagome tried to explain. Sesshomaru was just silent, he didn't know how to respond in a situation like this. The two continued on in silence down the hall once more. Unfortunately, it wasn't the comfortable silence that that was there before. "Great, Kagome, you go and make things awkward," Kagome thought to herself.

Sesshomaru continued to follow Kagome out of the castle and into a familiar area. Kagome looked up and saw the cherry blossom trees still in bloom that surrounded them and the path they were walking. "The garden," Sesshomaru mumbled as he took in the sight before him. "The peak of bloom is nearly over," Sesshomaru spoke as he noticed some of the delicate flowers had already begun to fall from the braches above. "Yeah," Kagome said with a twinge of sadness in her voice, "It's too bad they don't last longer," Kagome said referring to the blossoms.

Sesshomaru looked at the delicate pink colored flowers with thoughtfulness in his golden eyes, "But the short period of time makes you appreciate them just that much more." Kagome was shocked by his response, she looked at his calm face with amazement. "Did Sesshomaru really just say that," she asked herself as she continued to stare at him serene face. "He looks so at peace," Kagome thought as a light blush crossed her cheeks as she watched Sesshomaru observe the cherry blossoms.

Kagome noticed that some of the blossoms that decided to fall early had caught in Sesshomaru's silver hair, "How beautiful," she thought as Sesshomaru turned his head gently to look at Kagome. Kagome's face instantly flushed a deep red as she looked away, acting as though she was admiring the flowers. "How embarrassing," she thought, "He caught me staring at him." A small smirk crossed his lips as Sesshomaru just looked at the back of Kagome's head, amused by her reaction.

_Her reactions are quite interesting,_ his demon commented as Sesshomaru continued to look at Kagome who was still flustered. "Yeah," Sesshomaru mentally agreed with his demon. "S-So should we continue with our walk," Kagome stuttered nervously. Sesshomaru silently nodded but the action was unseen to Kagome as she began to walk down the winding path that led the pair through the serene garden.

Inuyasha groggily walked down the hall, "I should have taken a longer nap," he muttered to himself as a large yawn escaped him. He continued to trudge down the silent hallway when something caught his eye. Inuyasha immediately stopped walking and looked out into the garden. The cherry blossoms were beginning to fall and had begun to create a pink cover over the ground but the thing that had caught his eye was Kagome and Sesshomaru walking through the garden together.

Inuyasha just stared that them in shock, "What are they doing together," the question ran through his mind at high speeds. His brain tried to make up situations that would explain what was going on between the two but none of them made sense. "What's going on between them," Inuyasha continued to question as he observed them, "Am I missing something." His mind was filled with questions, "When did something like this have time to develop?" Inuyasha continued to worry as he watched the two interact.

"I-I'm just jumping to conclusions," Inuyasha said trying to convince himself, "There is no way that Sesshomaru would ever develop feelings for a human." Inuyasha caught a glimpse of Kagome's face and was surprised to see how carefree her smile was, "When did Kagome get this close Sesshomaru," he questioned. Inuyasha suddenly shook his head, "No, I need to have faith in Kagome. She hasn't done anything that should make me doubt her," Inuyasha thought as he took one last glance at the two before continuing down the silent hallway.

Kagome walked the path silently in front of Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru tried to observe the evanescent beauty of the garden surrounding them but found that his eyes were always drawn to Kagome. Her long raven hair rolled down her back and swayed with every step she took, some of the delicate cherry blossom petals had become caught in her hair. "The contrast between the dark hair and the light petals is gorgeous," Sesshomaru thought as he proceed to look at Kagome. _Almost looks like snow in her hair,_ his demon purred within him.

"Sesshomaru," Kagome spoke as she stopped in front of him but didn't turn to face him, Sesshomaru was silent as he just looked at her expectantly. Kagome hesitated, "I need to tell him," she thought to herself and her heart started pounding in her chest. "It's so difficult to say but I rather know what he really thinks instead of never knowing what could have been," she decided inside her head. "Sesshomaru," she repeated as she gathered her courage.

She turned around quickly, her raven hair was picked up by the slight wind and revealed Kagome's face with a wide smile on her lips as the blossoms continued to fall behind her. "I think I really like you, Sesshomaru," she said as she smiled brightly at him. Sesshomaru's eyes widened when he heard her words, "S-She likes me," his mind questioned incredulously, for once his demon was speechless. He couldn't describe the feeling but there was great happiness in his chest as his golden eyes softened when he looked at her.

Sesshomaru was unaccustomed to the many feelings that Kagome had introduced to him and found himself unable to express how he felt. Kagome saw his eyes soften but his silence scared her. Sesshomaru looked at her as he tried to put his feelings into words when he spotted a familiar flower. The color was a dead giveaway, he silently stooped down to the bush that held the flower and gently picked the blossom. He gracefully stood up with the blossom and held out the flower to Kagome as a slight blush crossed his pale cheeks.

Kagome had begun to become nervous from the lack of response from Sesshomaru. She watched as he bent down towards a bush that was to the side of the path. He picked one of the flowers on the bush and stood to face her. She watched him silently as he offered her the flower in his hand, Kagome finally looked at the flower and was able to tell immediately what flower it was. Kagome smiled brilliantly as she looked at Sesshomaru with a slightly flushed cheeks holding a flower out to her. The small flower moved gently in the slight wind and its aroma floated up to their noses. Kagome closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as a sense of serenity passed over her. She opened her eyes again and looked from Sesshomaru to the flower and thought peacefully, "How beautiful, Lavender."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**A/N:**** Ok, I really need to apologize for not updating sooner, I'm really having writers block and my summer is actually a lot busier than I expected -_-' and then the fact that nobody really commented any suggestions which made it really hard to come up with an idea for this next chapter and even then it's not a great idea. Just think of this as kind of a filler chapter, I'm sorry again if this chapter sucks, it's taken me about a week to figure out this idea and another week to try and put it into words and proof it and everything. Just a reminder, Azumi is that nurse that was tending to Inuyasha in the early chapters. Sorry about the lateness and probably this whole chapter but please leave a review, if you leave an ideas or comments it's greatly appreciated! Anyways, have fun reading this chapter, try not to hate it too much ^-^'!**

It had been a couple of days since Kagome admitted her feelings to Sesshomaru and the whole castle was abuzz with the news. "Did you hear? Miss Kagome confessed her feelings to Lord Sesshomaru," she could hear some of the maids gossiping behind her, "What?! That's suicide," could be heard in a frantic tone. "No, he actually didn't turn her down immediately," another maid spoke with shock and incredulousness in her speech, "Really? What does that mean for them," one asked with curiosity laced in her voice. "I'm not sure myself, nothing seems to have changed between them," she spoke with a more lowered tone. Kagome just silently listened to the gossip before turned towards the maids, flashing them a smile; the maids went silent as a deep blush crossed their cheeks, they shakily bowed before frantically making their way down the hall. "Do you think she heard," one of the maids could be overheard from around the corner, "Of course she heard! Why do you think she looked at us directly and smiled?"

The three voices trailed off as they moved farther, when Kagome could no longer make out the voices she released a deep sigh. "As sad as it is, they're right. Nothing new has happened between us." Kagome mumbled under her breath as she turned around and continued down the now silent hall, she didn't get very far before she broke out in a sneezing fit. "Ugh, they must be talking about me agai-" she was interrupted by another sneeze, "Ugh." She straightened her posture but turned around in the direction of a disturbance down the hallway.

Someone or something quickly turned the corner and proceed to charge towards her, whatever it was was moving so fast that it looked like a smudge, Kagome was caught off guard and wasn't given enough time to take action. Instead she closed her eyes and hoped for the best but nothing happened. After waiting a few seconds to come into contact with the object she timidly opened one eye to see what occurred. She was surprised to see Inuyasha standing in front of her panting, "Inuyasha," she said cheerfully as she recognized her friend. Inuyasha looked at her seriously and Kagome immediately noticed, her smile faded. "Is something wrong," she asked, concerned. Inuyasha inhaled deeply, "Is it true," he asked. Kagome looked at him with confusion in her deep brown eyes, signaling to him that she didn't understand what he was referring to. Inuyasha stared at his feet, unable to look Kagome in the eyes, "I heard you confessed to Sesshomaru," he said quietly.

Kagome's eyes widened but she stayed silent, "Is it true," he asked softly again after clarifying what he was talking about. Kagome looked at Inuyasha as he glanced up to see her response and silently nodded, "I guess the word has spread," she said and Inuyasha solemnly nodded. There was awkward silence between the two before Kagome went into another sneezing fit. Inuyasha looked at her with amusement in his eyes as he stepped towards her and gently pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. Kagome's cheeks turned red as she looked up at Inuyasha, "You're burning up," he said as he removed his hand. Immediately after he scooped her up bridal style and began to carry her down the hall towards her bedroom, intent on allowing her to get some rest.

The blush stayed on her cheeks as she looked up at Inuyasha, "Why am I starting to feel like this again," she asked herself. "I thought I had already gotten over this," she thought as she just watched Inuyasha. Suddenly Inuyasha stopped and Kagome flinched from the abrupt stop, she looked at up at Inuyasha with confusion, "What is it Inuyasha," she asked him but didn't receive a response. She watched his gaze and followed it to see Sesshomaru stopped in front of them, her face flushed red once again and she became frantic. "S-Sesshomaru," she stuttered in surprise as she started fidgeting in Inuyasha's arms, he felt this and tightened his grip on her.

Sesshomaru's demon was burning with anger within, _what the hell is he doing with her? Why is he carrying her? Why the hell is he touching her,_ he asked with blind rage as he looked upon the two. His demon was losing his temper within while on the outside Sesshomaru stayed composed. "What is going on here," he questioned but sounded more like a growl. "Damnit, I need to control my anger," Sesshomaru thought to himself, disapproving the way he allowed his feelings to slip out.

Inuyasha felt nervous standing before Sesshomaru but was determined to keep calm. "I was just taking her to her room," Inuyasha explained but instantly wanted to punch himself for what he said, "Fuck, that can be so easily misinterpreted," he thought frustratedly. When he heard that Sesshomaru's demon went insane,_ I'm going to kill that fucking bastard,_ his demon raged from inside as Sesshomaru struggled with keeping him contained and restrain him from murdering his half-brother in front of Kagome. "I-I was only taking her because she was burning up," Inuyasha stuttered, losing to his nerves and breaking his calm demeanor.

Sesshomaru looked at him skeptically but reached out and gently felt Kagome's forehead, _He's right,_ his demon struggled to admit. Sesshomaru's inner demon started to calm down after realizing nothing was going on. "Carry on but I shall accompany Kagome to her room as well," Sesshomaru spoke. Inuyasha was hesitant about Sesshomaru's actions but Kagome sneezing once again reminded him of her condition. He adjusted his grip on her before continuing down the hall with Sesshomaru trailing behind silently. Awkward silence descended upon the three as they traveled down the hall, when they got to her room Sesshomaru slid the door open and allowed Inuyasha to enter first with Kagome.

Inuyasha stepped through the doorway and into the room, he moved towards the bed and gently placed Kagome down. Kagome smiled up at Inuyasha and thanked him before she crawled under the blankets. Sesshomaru just stood back and watched their interactions, "You've done your part, you may leave now," Sesshomaru spoke from behind Inuyasha. Inuyasha jerked his head in the direction of Sesshomaru's voice and scowled, his eyebrows knit together while his jaw became clenched. Inuyasha stared angrily at Sesshomaru's calm expression, trying to intimidate him, but failed. He just huffed before stomping towards the door, "Send for Azumi, instruct her to bring water and a rag," Sesshomaru spoke towards Inuyasha, he stopped walking and nodded before exiting the room.

After the door was shut Sesshomaru closed his eyes and exhaled before moving across the room to sit by Kagome's side. She looked up at him and couldn't help but smile at him but almost immediately felt a sneeze coming. She quickly covered her mouth and nose with her arm as another sneezing episode started, Sesshomaru was surprised by the almost violent sneezes escaping Kagome. "Bless you," Sesshomaru spoke after she finished, "Thank you," Kagome said as a slight blush crossed her cheeks, "Sneezing that much all at once is embarrassing," she thought to herself.

Silence fell over the two as they sat in front of each other. "Has-," Kagome started to ask but was cut off when they heard a knock at the door. They both looked towards the door, "Come in," Sesshomaru spoke in a commanding voice. The door slid open to reveal a bowing Azumi with a bowl of water and a rag at her side. "Please excuse me," she spoke as she lowered her head even more before moving to her feet. She picked up the bowl with the rag draped over the side and moved towards the bed timidly. Sesshomaru stood from his sitting position on the bed to allow Azumi more room to care for Kagome.

The room stayed silent as Azumi set the bowl on the bed side table and proceeded to dip the towel in the water. She rung out the extra water before turning around to place it on Kagome's head. Kagome and Azumi continued to exchange smiles, "Thank you," Kagome said. When Azumi heard this her smile softened, "No problem, it's my job," she said as she chuckled and Kagome smiled wider. "From what Lord Inuyasha described it sounds like just a common head cold, nothing serious," she explained. "Well that's good," Kagome commented before turning to look at Sesshomaru, "Isn't it," she asked him. "Yeah," Sesshomaru mumbled while turning his head away, "Maybe it's just my wild imagination but did I see a faint blush on his cheeks," Kagome asked herself.

Azumi watched the two, amused with how they interacted together, "I've never see Lord Sesshomaru like this before," Azumi thought to herself. "I heard that Kagome was slowly changing my Lord but I didn't realize it was this dramatic of a change," she continued to think. Then the most recent gossip popped into her mind and without thinking she voiced her question, "Did Miss Kagome really confess her feelings?" Immediately after saying that she regretted it, she realized her mistake when Sesshomaru whipped his head around and starred at her with piercingly cold golden eyes.

She hesitantly turned around to see Kagome's reaction and saw that Kagome was deeply flushed after hearing what she said. Azumi turned back towards Sesshomaru but found it impossible to look him in the eyes, instead she looked at the floor, ready for what was coming next. "That is none of your business," Sesshomaru snapped at her, Azumi bowed deeply, "I'm sorry Lord Sesshomaru, I didn't mean to intrude on your private matters," she apologized.

"Leave," he commanded. Azumi was surprised by the sudden request but bowed once again before silently following his orders and leaving the room. After hearing the door close all the way Sesshomaru left out an aggravated huff of air, "I assume this means that the whole castle knows of the incident," Sesshomaru spoke. He turned to look at Kagome and just watched her slowly nod, "Actually this whole sneezing catastrophe started after I heard some maids chattering behind me about us," Kagome explained. Sesshomaru just nodded, "But something they said made me wonder," Kagome trailed off. "They said that it seems as though nothing has changed between us," Kagome said softly as she began to look at the sheets. Kagome felt the embarrassment of discussing this occurrence starting to get to her. "So," Kagome began but hesitated, "Has anything changed between us," she asked and looked him in the eyes, searching for the answer.


End file.
